


Buying Art

by Pixel_Runner



Series: Guarding Home [1]
Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Bruises, Cannon Typical Violence, Consensual Touching, Could get a little triggery, Discussions of Alien anatomy, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Phil Coulson, Eventual Sex, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, I don't even play one on TV, Jasper Sitwell was a HYDRA bastard, Mental Health Issues, Mostly Plot Some Porn, Non-Consensual Touching, Non-Sexual Slavery, Not Beta Read, Passing References to Knitting, Passing References to Peter Quill's Porn Collection, Passing References to Tony Stark's Porn Collection, Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Public Nudity, Referenced Termination of Pregnancy, Regrowing Groot, Rocket Hacks The Internet, Slice of Life, So much angst, Starts out dark, Stick A Fork In It Because It's Done, Tattoos, The Electric Slide, Touching, language barriers, not a doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2017-03-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 11:45:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 67
Words: 84,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9122131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pixel_Runner/pseuds/Pixel_Runner
Summary: Draw thinks he's buying artwork.  He really wasn't looking to buy a person.Explicit chapters are flagged.  There are exactly five explicit chapters.  Very low porn to plot ratio.





	1. Buying Art, Then Buying Medical Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of depressing, but I'm trying to set up for future explanations of character history. I promise I have a plan. It might not be a good plan but I do have more than 12% of a plan. 15% at least... Maybe even 20%

Bounty hunting wasn’t getting him any closer to Thanos, but it paid for fuel and food. Sometimes when you caught the mark and it’s victim was still alive, you got a bonus. Drax decided that if he was going to spend the foreseeable future in Starlord’s new but already grungy ship, he should at least buy some art or something to decorate his bunk.

That was why his was wandering the market on Akhaten. He had only been there 20 minutes and people had attempted to rob him twice. It was great.

He was planning on just cutting through the slave pens when he saw something … artistic. She was about 1.6 metres tall and naked, both in terms of lack of clothing and also in body hair. She had a lovely design of flowers that started on her left hip, wrapped around the small of her back and up and over her right shoulder. Her arms and legs were an attractive swirl of greens and purples while the skin on her torso was a creamy pink beneath the delicate grey outlines of the flowers.

He wasn’t shopping for a slave, but he stepped up for a closer look.

The barker saw him coming.

\---

Peter was in the galley making a sandwich when Drax came in closely followed by a small woman who was carefully inspecting the floor about a foot in front of her.

“Dude! What the hell?!”

“It is I, Drax. I do not know this dude person you keep referencing”

“What’s with the girl? I thought you were buying art.”

“It is very pretty, so I decided to get a pet. I have been assured that it is quiet, housebroken and can live on table scraps. I have not found a table to scrap, but I purchased a bag of wood shavings at the pet store”

“Wait, what?”

“I can decorate it futher. Observe.” With that Drax, pulled her arm so that she stumbled closer, then pressed hard on her back with his thumb. She whimpered slightly, but did not cry out. When he removed his hand a thumb print shape bruise had already started to form.

“The marks start out red, then turn purple or black before changing to green and eventually yellow. It is most remarkable! Would you like to try?”

“No! Drax you are hurting her!”

“I have been assured that I am not. It isn’t a person. It is art. I can decorate it as I like.”

“That isn’t decoration, those are bruises.”

“What is bruises?”

“Don’t you …” Peter had to stop and think for a moment. The girl was still looking and floor. She was trembling slightly, he couldn’t even begin to guess if it was from pain, fear, cold or all three. He wondered if Drax, with his grey skin and decorative scarification could even see bruises through his own skin. “Bruises are where blood vessels have burst and blood pools below the skin. The color changes you are talking about are them slowly, and this is the important part, painfully healing”

“I was warned that its bones would be easy to break without noticing, but I was assured that the coloration effect was not harmful.”

Peter sighed and offered the girl his sandwich. She didn’t take it but flinched away from his out stretched hand. “Let’s think about that for a minute, buddy. Did the guy who sold her to you actually say “this won’t hurt” or did he say something like “no lasting damage.” Because bruises heal up, eventually, with no lasting damage, but they still hurt like a son of a bitch.”

“What does a son of a…”

Peter interrupted “Metaphor! I mean they are still very painful. Come on, man, just look at her. Can’t you see she is scared and hurting?”

Drax was not as gentle as Peter would have liked in grabbing the girl by her throat and forcing her to make eye contact. Her eyes went wide for a second before she tried to look somewhere else. It didn’t work and she settled on just closing her eyes. She started to tremble harder and tears squeezed out from beneath her eyelids. Drax let go of her throat and she fell gasping to the floor.

She lay there for a moment when Rocket came in. “Are we moving slaves now? ‘Cause I gotta say the pay sucks and you always end up spending more on feeding them and cleaning up after them that it is worth.”

“It isn’t a slave,” Drax said. “It is art to decorate my bunk.”

“Well, that’s one way of putting it,” said the racoon. “What the fuck are you doing, Quill? It isn’t going to take your lunch. It’ll only be allowed to take food from its owner. But I’ll take that sandwich, if you don’t want it.”

“Drax, give the girl the sandwich. I can see her ribs”

“You can not. Her skin is in the way”

They watched as she nervously assessed Drax’s face before slowing taking the sandwich from his hand. She held it with both hands like something precious. For a moment Peter was afraid she would just bolt the food and be sick, but she ate slowly and carefully, not looking at any of them.

“Why is there a naked woman on the floor of our kitchen?” Gamora asked as she came in.

“It’s Drax’s new art instillation,” Rocket snickered.

“It’s obscene. Make it put some clothes on.”

“How?” Rocket asked. “Lover boy there doesn’t have any shirts and it won’t fit in his pants,” here he stopped to snort. “You gonna lend it one of your outfits?”

Peter had already run to his room and returned with a shirt. She wouldn’t take that from him either. She wouldn’t even look at him, but she put it on when Drax offered it to her.

She finished her the sandwich and had mostly stopped shivering when Drax noted that her lips were no longer blue. She pushed herself to her feet and went and stood a few feet away from Drax, her eyes once again firmly fixed on the floor at his feet.

Rocket wandered off. Gamora started opening the cupboards looking for something to eat. Peter made himself another sandwich before asking, “So, what’s her name?”

“It does not have a name. It isn’t a person. It doesn’t speak. It is art. I do not like it in your shirt. It covers up the decoration.”

“You won’t get to appreciate the décor if she dies of hypothermia. Do you know what species she is? Or at least what temperature range she needs?”

“The merchant who sold it to me did not say”

“You are missing the important question, Peter.” Gamora said, opening a bottle. “The important part is, has it had all it’s shots and are we doing to be allowed to dock anywhere with it on our ship?”

In the end, Peter went with Drax as they tried to find someone to do a medical. Drax tried a vet first but was told that all humanoids had to be seen by doctors. Their next stop at the hospital proved that Drax was now the legal owner of a registered slave, that the girl was malnourished, dehydrated and Terran, and that she needed to be vaccinated before space travel could be approved.

Peter tried a few words of English. While her eyes went wide and she turned to stare at him for a fraction of second before returning to stare at the floor, she didn’t verbally respond to “What is your name?” or “How did you get here?”

The sound she made when the doctor grabbed her bruised arm would give Peter nightmares and have the doctor suggesting a scan for broken bones. They found swelling in her left shoulder that suggested a recent dislocation and a broken scaphoid. Peter knew that one. It happened when one of the Ravagers had pushed him to the ground when he was 13. It hurt like a bastard for eight weeks before it healed. He offered to pay out of pocket to have BoneMend™ injected for that, but Drax pulled out his credit chip in silence.

“Is there anything else it….SHE needs?” Drax asked.

“Well,” the doctor said thoughtfully, “it isn’t likely that you will be able to get her pregnant. Possible, of course, but not likely. If you manage it, she will not be able to carry to term. If you are going to share her with the rest of your crew, you will want to get her sterilized first. Pregnancy is much more likely via your friend here. Terrans have a freakishly short fertility cycle. You will need to decide how you want to deal with that. We can either give you meds to inject her with that will stop that or you will need to provide products to mitigate the effects.

“In addition, you will either need to adjust the temperature of your live space or provide her with garments. Her body temperature was sub-optimal when she came in. Had she been shivering for long? Pain medication may be necessary to combat the muscle fatigue if so.

“It is up to you if you want to treat the bruising, but it is rather extensive. Under other circumstances, I would recommend a translator implant, but we don’t stock Terran.”

In the end, Drax paid for the pain meds, laser treatment to heal the bruising and something called a menstrual cup, which looked like a torture implement even if the nurse assured him it was the best way to manage things on a long space voyage. He also assured the Doctor that he wouldn’t be sharing her and that he would risk the 1 in 5000 odds of a terrain becoming impregnated by one of his species.

Then he sent Peter back to the ship and took her shopping for clothes. At first, he bought her clothes to suit himself. However, once the sales being asked if he was planning on buying her any comfortable underwear, he changed his tactics. He bought her several items to support her breasts in case she needed to run, a comfortable looking pair of boots, several pairs of leggings and some flattering tunic/dresses with long sleeves to keep her arms warm. He chose everything in various shades of blue. He liked blue.

“Will there be anything else?” asked the sale-being.

Drax paused, “Is there anything else she will need?”

“Are you going to get her any sleepwear?”

“I sleep naked.”

The sales-being frowned slightly. “Ah…. Does she?”

A second tour of the shop added two sleep outfits, a pair of slippers and a couple of dresses in a lighter weight in case they ended up docking someplace warm. Through the whole thing the woman had not looked up, not made a sound and had tried on each item with as much complaint as one of Kamaria’s dolls when his daughter was playing dress up.

He watched her carefully during the cab ride back to the ship. She was small. Smaller that Peter, not much bigger than his daughter. Her breasts and hips suggested adulthood but he was no judge of Terran physiology. “Are you hungry?” he asked. She did not respond. His stomach grumbled and a smile ghosted across her lips so fast that even watching her carefully, he wasn’t sure if he had imagined it.

The first restaurant he tried was for people only. Slaves had to wait out side. The second place he stopped packed them up enough take away for the whole crew back on the Milano.

When they arrived, she wordlessly picked up as much as she could carry and followed him back on to the ship. He showed her where to hang her clothes in his room and where his three piece bathroom was then went out to set the table in the kitchen.

He called his friends to come eat and Rocket immediately helped himself to plate full of citrus roast avian. Gamora examined everything before starting with green Soy/Lentil combination. Peter started by opening everyone a beer.

“That’s better.” Gamora said looking over Drax’s shoulder. He turned to look. The art was standing in his door way, looking uncertain in short sleeved, cornflower blue dress, a pair of navy blue tights and her slippers.

“Come here!” Drax called. He gestured to her to come and sit. She did but made no move toward any of the food. He waited to see what she would do.

Just sit there, apparently. Peter took her plate and put a small spoon full of each of the dished on it before offering it to her. She stared at it and her stomach grumbled loudly. Her face reddened but she made no move to take it from him.

“Drax…” Peter said, trying to hand the plate to his friend.

“That’s disgusting! You aren’t really going to let it eat at the table like people, are you?”

Drax and Peter turned to Rocket in shock. Gamora helped herself to some citrus avian.

“It… She is Terran just like you,” said Drax.

“Aint nothing like me ‘cept me” the raccoon stated firmly. He took the plate from Peter, walked around Drax and set it on the floor a little ways away from the table. Then he snapped his fingers in the girls face and pointed at the plate before returning to his seat.

“Hey! That is not nice!” said Peter, but even as he was speaking the girl got up from the table, went to sit on the floor and began eating with the same cautious desperation that she had turned on his sandwich earlier. Drax watched her for a moment, then went back to his own meal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the book, Soylent Green was not made of people but of a combination of Soy beans and Lentils. The Hollywood ending was changed to make it more dramatic.


	2. Sleeping Arrangements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics indicate English, understood by Art and Peter. Plan text is in Common language, understood by everyone except Art. While I can get behind Allspeakand I can tolerate translator implants, my head cannon won't stretch to all aliens speaking English or that there would be enough English speakers to account for a English translation program.

Once the Guardians had finished eating, Drax’s art instillation got up from the floor, cleared the table and started washing the dishes.

“That’s handy,” said Gamora, taking another swig of her beer.

Drax said nothing.

Rocket went back to his bunk to check on Groot. Peter managed to talk Gamora into going out for after dinner drinks. Drax declined to go with them.

He watched as the nameless … girl? Woman? Terran finished washing and carefully drying the dishes before searching the cupboards to determine where they went and putting them away. While she was looking she found the recycling shoot and disposed of the take away containers and empty beer bottles before coming to stand near him and looking at the floor.

He considered her for a long moment before very, very carefully taking her hand and leading her back to his bunk. Sitting on the bed with her standing before him, he was almost the same height as her. He took her hand and pressed it to his chest. “Drax” he said. She glaced at him and he nodded at her to repeat.

She licked her lips nervously, then with a voice crackling with disuse whispered “Drax”

He smiled approvingly. Then moving very slowly and carefully so she could see what he was doing reached out and put his hand on her chest. He felt her heat rate jump. She tensed and stopped breathing. She stared at him with wild panic in her eyes, but didn’t say anything.

“What is your name?” he asked.

She fainted.

He considered this. Option A, leave her on the floor. Option B put her on his bed and try not to stab her if she sat up suddenly when she woke. Option A it is then. He got up and went to get ready for bed. Realized he should have bought her some mouth care items, and decided to remember to do that first thing in the morning.

…

“ _No! NO! Don’t! Stop! Please, Stop!_ ”

Drax woke to the sound of his art screaming in a language he didn’t understand. Peter burst into the room, threw on the light and almost died a painful death as Drax went for disoriented to homicidal in a fraction of a second.

She stopped screaming when the lights came on. After blinking a couple of times she curled into a ball and whimpered. Her body shuddered and she sobbed.

“What did you do to her?” Peter demanded, as though he were not the one with Drax’s knife at his throat.

“I did nothing,” Drax said lowering his weapon. “She just started screaming. Do you know what she said?”

Peter translated. Drax looked grim. “ _No. Stop_ ,” he tried hesitantly. “ How do you say yes?”

“ _Yes_ ” Peter supplied.

“Tell her that if she says No or Stop, to me, I will respect her command. And ask her name”

She paid attention when Peter told her what Drax had said but said nothing when he asked her name. She simply pressed her lips tighter together so hard they turned white.

“ _You OK?_ ” he asked. Her eyes darted to Drax for a moment, then she nodded.

“ _He won’t hurt you for speaking._ ” It was a hunch, but what the hell. She looked Peter suspiciously be still said nothing. “ _The man he bought you from told him the bruises weren’t harmful. He wasn’t trying to hurt you._ ” At that, she broke eye contact and went back to looking at the floor.

“What did you say to her?” Drax demanded.

“Relax. I was just trying to get her to say something.”

“It does not appear to have worked”

“No, but I tried. If she won’t tell us her name, what are you going to call her?”

“I do not know. Go back to bed Peter.”

“Good night, Drax.”

Peter turned the lights off when he left. The woman on his floor looked blankly around the room. Drax decided her night vision wasn’t as good as his and turned on the reading light near the bed. He got up, and got the sleep outfit out of the closet, idly noting that she had more clothing than he did. He handed her the sleeveless top and soft pants.

She looked at them for a moment before turning and facing the wall. She struggled out of the dress and put on the sleep top then pulled off the leggings and put on the shapeless pants. Then she sat on the floor and began to carefully fold the dress.

Since her back was still to him, Drax sat down behind her and gently lifted her shirt to see the flowers inked on her back. She began to tremble, then shuddered as her drew a careful finger over the design. He dropped her shirt, picked up the folded clothes. and pointed her at the bathroom. When she came out, she went and sat on the floor near the wall and curled her arms around herself. He watched for a moment, then turned out the light.

Sometime in the night, he woke to the sound of something moving in the darkness. He sat up silently and watched as his art was fumbling blindly for the closest. She eventually found the shirt Peter had given her earlier and put it on. Then she tucked her arms and legs in and curled into a ball on the floor. She did not try to find her way back to her wall but rather pressed against the closet. He continued to watch and realized she was shaking again.

“Are you cold?” He asked.

She jumped and let out a startled squeak, looking blindly around the room trying to see him. He got up and went to where she sat. Even from only a half meter away, she gave no indication that she could she him in the darkness. She jumped when he put his hand against her cheek. It was cold.

“Cold” he said, then picked her up. She flailed for a moment, then went limp in his arms. He tucked her into bed and curled up behind her.

“Warm.” he said, knowing she would not understand. Then he gently drew his hand over her eyes. “Sleep”

He was warm and still and waited for her to sleep. It took longer than he would have liked, but eventually she yawned and the stiffness in her body relaxed and her breathing slowed. He smiled and went to sleep as well.


	3. The Care and Feeding of Flora colossus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art, meet Groot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, English is indicated with italics. See previous Chapter notes.

Drax woke up with a bundle of warm, soft, sleeping female in his arms for the first time in years. He also woke up with a painfully hard erection. He rolled out of bed without waking her and went to masturbate in the shower. Twice.

 

After pulling on a pair of pants he snuck out to the kitchen, leaving his room lights off, but the door slightly open so that she would have some light and be able to find her way out when she woke. Someone had already prepared hot caffeinated beverage and he poured himself a cup. He wondered if She would want some. He once again wondered if She was old enough to have some.

 

“Star Lord, how long do you think it will be before She is fully grown?”

 

“No talking before coffee!”

 

“But you are talking and you have coffee, so how long do you think it will be before She is fully grown?”

 

Peter rolled his eyes then rubbed his face with his left hand before taking a long drink from the mug in his right. “That is fully grown”

 

“Is it usual for Terran females to be so much smaller than the males or do you think she has been stunted in some way?”

 

“She looks normal to me. Aside from the lack of hair thing, that’s kinda weird. Maybe a few years younger than me, maybe not. It can be hard to tell with women. How big was Hovat?”

 

“She was tall enough to put her chin against my forehead. Large females have an easier time bearing children. I cannot see how your species would manage reproduction with such a size disparity. I had wondered about the ethicality of a physician suggesting I would impregnate a child.”

 

“Terran children cannot walk when they are born. They are weak and helpless and must be carried for a full year before they learn, and even then they wobble for years.” Gamora bypassed the coffee in favour of a spikey purple fruit. Seating herself at the table, she pulled out a knife and asked, “Are you sure you have everything you need for her care and maintenance? We are scheduled to leave in four hours.”

 

“I will need to get her a mouth care kit and something to trim her claws. It pleased Hovat to have me rub oil into her feet. Do you think She would enjoy that as well?”

 

Peter and Gamora shared a look. “Mom like lotion for her hands, so maybe? Girls back home liked lip-gloss. I take it you haven’t decided on a name then?”

 

“No I am waiting for her to tell me.”

 

“You will be waiting a long time. Slavers aren’t exactly keen on talkative merchandise.   Fucking “scientists” spent all that time getting me to talk and slavers spend almost as much time getting their product to stop.” Rocket set Groot’s pot on the table and went to get himself some eggs. He cracked two into his mug and one into his mouth before going to sit with the others.

 

Drax noticed Gamora peering over his shoulder, he turned to look at the doorway to his room and saw Her peeking through the barely open door. “Come here, “ he said beckoning to her.  

 

She pushed the door open enough to get out, then closed it carefully behind her. She was still wearing the baggy sleep pants and Peter’s shirt over her sleep top. Drax was starting to hate that shirt. She came into the kitchen and sat on the floor where Rocket had put her plate the night before.

 

“What do you know! It can be taught!”

 

“Why are you so mean to her?” It was Peter who asked it, but Drax was wondering too.

 

“Grooo!” Everyone stopped and turned to look at Groot, who was waving his tiny arms and reaching toward the woman sitting on the floor. He stopped, looked at Rocket and pointed at her. “Groo!” he commanded.

 

Rocket reverentially picked up the pot and walked toward Her, who was staring wide eyed and slack jawed at the excited plant. The raccoon stopped a foot away from her and turned to Peter “Tell it not to eat Groot”

 

Peter considered this. “ _Do you know what an Ent is?_ ”

 

She looked at him. She looked at Groot. She looked back at him, then nodded cautiously. “ _This Ent is our friend. He saved our lives, but almost died in the process. We are regrowing him from a cutting. He wants to meet you, but you must be very careful with him. Do you understand?”_

 

Another nod. Rocket handed her the pot. She held it so that Groot was at eye level and looked at him. She turned the pot to try to see his back but Groot swiveled around trying to maintain eye contact. She considered him for a moment, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She slowly blew out a gentle stream of air that went on for some time as she completely emptied her lungs on him. Groot grew several inched while they watched. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. He smiled back. “Groot!”

 

The pot, which was now too small, started to crack. Rocket snatched it from her hands. Peter jumped up and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard. Drax bolted to the cargo hold for soil and a larger pot. Gamora peeled another fruit segment.

 

There was a flurry of activity getting Groot repotted, his new container too large for Rocket to carry. It was decided he should be placed near the couch where he would get the most light but not be in the way. Rocket tried blowing on Groot but with out lips it was mostly spitting and nothing happened. “Make her do it again!”

 

“She went back to Drax’s room when you were distracted. When are her next pain meds due? I will give them to her while you are out buying … lip-gloss or whatever. You only have three hours now until we depart so you will need to hurry.”

 

Drax pulled the bottle of pills from his pocket and handed them to Gamora. “She should have had one hours ago, but she needs to eat first. I’m not sure she will take food from you.”

 

“I’ll manage. You go.”

 

…..

 

Lip-gloss was easier to find once he found someone to explain what it was. It mostly came in many sickly sweet flavors. He settled on one that was unscented and a blue toothbrush. The nail clippers looked humorously small. They would be totally ineffectual as a weapon, but he was assured that they would safely trim her nails without cutting her fingertips.

 

Peter’s music was blaring when he got back to the ship. He was used to that by now. He wasn’t expecting to find Her singing quietly along in the kitchen. She was dancing with a mop, it looked like she was cleaning where the soil had spilled on the floor that morning.

 

“ _hooked on a feeling! I’m high on believing! That you’re….”_

 

She swung her hips and spun, then stopped and dropped the mop in surprise when she saw him there. Her face turned very pink and she looked at the floor. Where she saw the mop and scrambled to pick it up. The music played on. He looked over at the pot by the sofa. Groot was also still. Drax narrowed his eyes at the plant before turning back to his art.

 

She was wearing one of the dresses he had picked out. It had asymmetric sleeves and hem and a slow colour change from sky blue at the neckline to inky purple at the very point of the hem. The silky fabric skimmed her curves. She wasn’t wearing leggings under it and had put on the boots instead of the slippers. He wanted to run his hand up her thigh and see if she was wearing panties.

 

“Groot!”

She turned her face toward the plant, made eye contact for a moment, then went back to examining the floor.

 

“Can you understand him?” He didn’t know if she could understand Groot but she gave no indication that she could understand Drax.

 

He took her hand and led her back to his bathroom. He opened her toothbrush and handed it to her then picked up his own and demonstrated. She watched for a moment, then copied. When she finished, he indicated which corner of the small shelf was hers. She put her toothbrush there. Then he handed her the nail clippers and pointed to her corner. After she had placed them next to her toothbrush he hesitantly handed her the lip-gloss. This was the part that he wasn’t sure about. She took the small tin from him with a puzzled expression and opened it carefully. She looked at him quizzically.

 

“It’s for your lips,” he said. Then he pantomimed dipping a finger in the pot and running it over his lips. She sniffed the contents of the little tin then dipped a finger in and cautiously touched his lips. He laughed. She startled and jerked away from him. He caught her hand and touched her finger to her lips then nodded and released her hand. “It’s yours,” he said.

 

She ran her finger over her lips, then pressed them together. “ _Thank you_ ,” she said putting the tin with her toothbrush. She looked at him, saw that he didn’t understand and hesitated a moment, then gave him a quick hug before running back to the kitchen.

 

He watched her finish mopping in silence, she was still favouring her left arm. She threw out Rocket’s egg shells that had been left on the counter and started washing the dishes. He picked up a towel and started drying and putting away. She glanced at him and nodded.

 

They were almost finished when Gamora walked through on her way to the cockpit. “Hurry up! Lift off in five!”

 

Drax considered this. Rocket would be in the engine room. Peter in the Captian’s chair. Gamora took the co-pilot seat. He usually sat in the navigator’s spot, not because he was exceptionally good at navigation but because he liked to watch take off. The were two harnesses on the bench seat/sofa near Groot where she could sit. He could sit with her. He went over and made sure Groot’s pot was secured to the floor.

 

He had just buckled her into the first harness when Peter called “Get your ass in here big guy!” Peter had previously explained that this meant his whole person not just his ass. He wondered if She would be as confusing when she learned how to speak Common. He went and joined them in the cock pit.

 

Take off was a bit bumpy. Then there was trying to avoid all the ships in holding pattern just beyond the atmosphere. Then there was a lot of traffic and three moons to get past and by the time they were out of the system to make the jump to hyperspace several hours had passed and everyone was hungry again. They unbuckled and headed back to the common room.

 

She was covered in Groot. The plant had burst its pot again and was growing over Her. Tendrils covered her face, dipping into her nose and mouth. They wrapped around her arms and legs and crawled up under her skirt in a way that made Drax suspect Groot knew if She was wearing panties.

 

“What the fuck!?” Rocket bellowed and ran to the couch pulling Groot off Her. The vines receded and reformed into a humanoid shape and Groot stood up now slightly taller than Rocket, no longer needing a pot.

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“Drax, I don’t care what you paid for her, I’ll double it if you sell her to me right now!” Rocket said clinging to Groot.

 

“I do not wish to sell her. What have you done? She will not wake.”

 

“I am Groot”

 

“You can do that? Ok,ok, so it sounds like she had some sort of panic attack during take off, so he restrained her so she wouldn’t hurt herself then synthesized an opiate to calm her down.”

 

“So she’s just stoned then?” Peter asked.

 

“I am Groot”

 

He looked guilty. Drax did not understand where stones came in, but his friend looked ashamed of what had happened. “Do not do that again! And, Rocket, no more making her eat on the floor.”

 

“Fine”

 

……

 

By the time lunch was cooked she was starting to move a bit. Drax pulled her to a sitting position and carried her to the table. They were all looking worriedly at her. “ _What happened?_ ” it was barely a whisper and she flinched away from Drax when he turned to her to face him.

 

“What did she say?” He demanded from Peter.

 

“Just cool your…. Just wait patiently and give me a chance to talk to her.” Peter was getting better at speaking Drax, but it wasn’t easy.

 

“ _Are you OK_?” He asked.

 

She nodded and looked at Drax who made an encouraging gesture. “ _My head hurts like I have a bad hangover and the room is spinning a bit. Did I get roofied_?”

 

_“I don’t know that one. What is roofied?”_

_“Rohypnol. It’s the date rape drug. You know, the one guys put in a girl’s drink to incapacitate her so they can have non-consensual sex”_

_“That’s a thing now?”_

_“Jesus Christ, that isn’t even new! How long you been off Earth?”_

_“Do you feel like you have been raped?”_

_“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”_

_“I don’t know! Do … things hurt or anything?”_

_“Tell me what happened!”_

_“Groot says you panicked and he drugged you to keep you calm, but you were covered in vines when we found you.”_

_“Oh. Did you tell him to buy me lip-gloss? He doesn’t seem the type to come up on that one on his own.”_

 

It took Peter a moment to catch up on which “he” they were talking about now. His English was really rusty. There were a few Terrans out here but not enough spoke English to really practice much.

 

_“Yeah, I guess. I mean he asked what else you might need and I remembered the girls back home liked lip-gloss so…”_

_“Girls back home…. What, were you twelve when you left Earth?”_

_“Ten, actually.”_

_“Oh.”_ She paused _“Can I get a glass of water, please?”_

_“What’s your name?”_

_“Nope. Not going to happen. No.”_

 

Drax grabbed Peter and pulled him away from Her. “What did you say to her?!” It was a very loud demand from a very angry Drax.

 

“I just asked her name. Relax. And she wants a glass of water.”

 

Groot was already filling one. He handed it to her. Rocket made a disgusted sound and went back to helping himself to food.

 

“ _Thank you.”_

 

“I am Groot”

 

“F-ankh-ew, She said that earlier. Is that her name?”

 

“No Drax, it’s an expression of gratitude,” Peter said, the switched to English and added _“Look lady, you gotta give us something to call you. The big guy just about named you Thank-you. Lie if you have to. Make something up. Just give me something.”_

She hesitated for a long moment _. “Amelia”_

_“Is that your name?”_

_“You just said to make something up! I like Doctor Who and I can live with Amelia”_

 

“She says we can call her Amelia”


	4. Settling In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Italics indicate the language spoken is English. Although, you likely know that since most people don't start reading at Chapter 4.

Sleeping arrangements continued complicated. The first night in space, Amelia fell asleep on the sofa while a cut throat game of cards was going on. When Gamora noticed Rocket counting cards, there was very nearly a cut throat. After a spat that was mostly hurt feelings and very few injuries, everyone had packed up and tucked in for the night. Drax had considered moving her, but she was sleeping peacefully. He placed a blanket on her and went to his cabin.

 

She woke up shivering in the dark after everyone else had gone to bed. She lay huddled on the couch trying to conserve body heat when Groot found her.

 

He said, “I am Groot.” Somehow she understood “You belong to Drax, he is supposed to be taking care of you. Go ask for a warmer blanket or a corner of his mattress or something. It is not safe for you to stay out here. The cold will make you sick.”

 

“ _He is big and scary and I don’t think that sneaking up on him while he is asleep is a good idea_ ”

 

Groot looked at her then dragged her to Drax’s door and knocked. Drax answered not wearing any pants. Amelia’s eyes slammed shut and her face turned red. “I am Groot,” he said pushing her forward.

 

Drax stared at her. She was trembling; her lips where blue again. It was an attractive look on her but Peter had insisted that it was not safe. She bowed her head and started to speak, then stopped. She took a deep breath and said in heavily accented Common “Cold.”

 

He held out his hand and when she took it lead her to his bunk. He handed her the sleep clothes and she quickly changed before crawling in under the blankets. When he curled up behind her, her feet were so cold he knew that couldn’t be good. She had been wearing her slippers; her feet shouldn’t be that cold.

 

After that she would hesitantly follow him to bed at lights out. She wore her sleep clothes. She generally was huddled against the wall edge of the bed when he fell asleep, but Drax woke every morning with her in his arms.

 

It turned out Amelia was either a neat freak or at least did a passible interpretation of one. She found odd jobs around the ship that she could do, although there were very few jobs, cleaning aside that she was able to manage. She hesitantly did some cooking, and then completely took over the fourth day they where in space, when it turned out that she was better at it then the rest of them.

 

Drax was trying to teach her to speak Common. Rocket was trying to get her to say wildly in appropriate things in Common. Gamora just ignored her.

 

Groot… Well Groot would have big long philosophical discussion with her, where she spoke English and he would reply, “I am Groot.” It pissed Rocket off, to the point that by day six if he noticed it happening he would start making nasty comments and occasionally throw things. After that, Groot started being sneaky about it. That didn’t help.

 

Day nine, in response to an “I am Groot,” Amelia started explaining about the yeast culture she had used in that morning’s sticky buns. It went right over the heads of the team, including Peter who even was listening in English. She had just started explaining that it was a lack of cinnamon that forced her to make sticky buns instead of her preferred cinnamon buns when Rocket hurled one directly at her face.

 

Drax proved his reactions really were that fast when it caught it inches from her nose. Then he returned fire. At which point, Peter yelled “Food Fight!’ and things got completely out of hand.

 

That afternoon, once Amelia had finally finished scrubbing caramel sauce off the ceiling she hunted down Groot in the cockpit. “ _Is it just opioids that you can make or can your synthesize this for me?_ ” She handed him a molecular drawing.

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“ _Fuck! Fuck! Fuck it all!”_

“I am Groot.”

 

“ _It’s a non-opioid painkiller called acetaminophen with a muscle relaxant called methocarbamol. I just spend all day washing the ceiling so we don’t get mould or have rotten sugar syrup dripping into dinner and my back is killing me.”_

“I am Groot.”

 

She glanced a Drax.

 

“ _Yeah. That doesn’t sound like it would work. Thanks anyway.”_

She left. Drax turned to Peter and gave him a look.

 

“Her back hurts man. She was hoping Groot could figure something out for her.”

 

Groot nodded, then made grabby hands gesture at Drax, smiled encouragingly, then pointed at Peter.

 

“I got nothing”

 

Groot sighed and threw his hands up on disgust.

 

Drax found her in his room, and it took him a moment to process what was going on. She was positioned with her backside and her heels against the wall, then had folded herself nearly in half at the waist with her hands flat on the floor a short way in front of her feet. It was a most un-natural posture.

 

He had heard Peter say this countless times by now. “ _Er_ _Yo Kay_?” he ventured.

 

She stood up abruptly. “Yes.”

 

He got the feeling that her common was much better than his Terran. “Hurt?”

 

“Yes. No. Hurt…” she held her fingers a little bit apart.

 

He came over and looked at her fingers. He couldn’t see what was wrong. “Hurt here?” he asked, touching her thumb carefully.

 

She was trying not to smile.

“Hurt here,” she said pointing to the small of her back.

 

He took her hand and sat on the bed, gently positioning her so that she was standing in front of him. He wrapped his hands around her waist so that his thumbs were over her spine and carefully rubbed small circles on each side of her backbone.

 

Her skin was soft and smooth and very alien to him.

 

After a moment she relaxed under his hands and gave a little sigh that went straight to his libido. He considered this for a moment, then got up pushed past her and went to the cockpit.

 

“Peter, I need you to tell Amelia that I desire to have sexual relations with her.”

 

Peter choked on his drink. “Are you serious? No, wait, of course you are. Doesn’t she already know? I mean you have been sleeping together for like two weeks already.”

 

“She has been sleeping in my bed. We have not been engaging in sexual intercourse. It pleased me having my hands around her hips and rubbing her back. It aroused my lust.”

 

“Could we please stop talking about sex?”

 

“Who is talking about sex?”

 

“Gamora, I require Peter’s assistance in explaining to Amelia that I desire her. He seems upset by this. As you have taken him as your mate, I did not anticipate him being a rival for her affection.”

 

“I am not a rival for… Look. I am not going to tell YOUR SLAVE GIRL that you want her to have sex with you.”

 

Drax hesitated. “You think my ownership would be undue duress?”

 

“Buddy, I don’t see how it couldn’t be. Can’t you just seduce her like a normal man? Why drag me into it?”

 

“I have no desire to involve you in our encounter, Peter. I would certainly not drag you.”

 

“I mean, I don’t want to be involved IN ANY WAY. Including the explanation.”

 

Drax considered this for a moment before asking, “Would you be willing to explain Terran courtship rituals?”


	5. Terran Courtship Rituals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slight references to Good Eats. I couldn't stop myself. See previous chapter notes.

Quill’s suggestions for courtship were not practical in transit. There was not restaurant to take Amelia to. The vids on the ship were in Common and he didn’t think she would be able to follow the dialog when he struggled with understanding some of the nuances of the language himself. Indulging in alcoholism together seemed less than ideal. The final suggestion of “buy her something nice” would also have to wait until they landed someplace civilized. Of course, once they did he knew exactly what he wanted to give her.

In the mean time, her back hurt. Drax had been a farmer before Ronin visited his world. He knew about hard work and sore muscles. He also knew how to cook. He had done most of the cooking before he Amelia took it over. He might not be able to buy her something nice, but he could cook her something nice.

The chill chest contained a bag of small aquatic exoskeleton creatures that were delicious pan fried in garlic butter. There were fresh greens to harvest from the hydroponic garden. He could make some tuber dumplings to provide a starch if he started now.

He was part way through the dumpling batter when Amelia came in to start preparing the evening meal herself. She watched him for a moment then said, “talk.”

He named each of the ingredients, waiting for her to repeat them and correcting her pronunciation if needed. She named the utensils he was used. She got most of them right, although there were items he doubted she had used before. He explained what he was doing trying to use simple words or ones that she would be familiar with.

After watching him peel the exoskeletons off two of the creatures with a knife, she gave him a look, pulled out the scissors and cleaned the rest in half the time he had been taking. He liked cooking with her. She watched carefully, caught on fast and worked with a ruthless efficiency that suggest she already knew her way around knives.

She also hummed softly while she worked. He wondered if this was a Terran thing to match Peter’s habit of singing to himself. She was able to sing along perfectly with three of the songs on Awesome Mix the very first time she heard them.

Any thoughts of a romantic dinner for two were quashed when Rocket walked in and Amelia immediately set the table for five. “If you throw food I will….” He paused. It wasn’t in his nature to make empty threats and, while he may want to beat the small animal senseless, Rocket was still his friend. So he thought of a threat where he was prepared to follow through. “I will be very disappointed in you!”

“Pfft! Yeah, right! Hey Quill! Gamora! Drax here will be disappointed if we throw food!”

“I will not be disappointed,” said Gamora, entering the room, “but I will force you to cook for yourself from here on.”

“How is the grub holding up?” Peter asked joining them. "Still a week of travel time left and we are down to eating the bugs, I see.”

They were delicious and he had a second helping.

“We are low of starches and fruit. We are out of eggs.”

“Excuse me, I am out of eggs. They were MY eggs; your pet just used them! Without asking, I might add!”

“I will replace your eggs when we get to Xandar. I also wish to give Amelia a gift when we get there”.

“It’s a week to Xandar, is the food going to last or do we need to stop at the outpost we will be passing tomorrow?”

After a bit of discussion, it was decided they would stop for supplies. Peter asked Amelia to plan ten days of meals and provide a shopping list.

Amelia cleared the dishes and went to wash them. Drax took over and sent her to sit down. She whispered something to Peter, who whispered back. She looked appalled. Drax tried to ignore them. He lasted about 45 seconds. “What did she say?”

“She asked if you were doing dishes and I was having her menu plan because you were getting ready to sell her. I told her I didn’t think so, but if you did, Rocket had already called first dibs … that is first refusal on her purchase.”

“You did not tell her that she pleases me greatly?”

“Still Not Getting Involved.”

By the time Drax was done cleaning up from dinner, Amelia’s exhaustion was showing. She had listed a few things for Quill, but was mostly just blinking slowly. As he watched, her head did the “nod and jerk” maneuver he recognized from when his daughter was fighting sleep. He recalled she had been up extra early to make the delicious sticky buns for breakfast. “Sleep now.” He tried to adjust his tone of voice to make it a suggestion and not an order, but he wasn’t sure that it worked because she blushed and ducked her head. At any rate, she got up and headed to his bunk.

Gamora watched Amelia close the door behind her then turned on Drax. "What do you think you're doing? She's exhausted. Her back hurts. She reinjured her wrist cleaning up after your food fight with the other two idiots, and now you are going to what... Fuck her because you’re horny and she's property? Or are you going to just grind against her all night until you are angry and frustrated and she gets so scared she stops talking again?"

"Ooh! I vote for that one! I liked when it didn't talk!"

"We drop the temperature during lights out so that Groot can grow. If I leave her to sleep on her own she gets too cold."

"Really." Gamora wasn't buying it. "Peter is Terran and he manages somehow."

"He has you"

"Leave me or of this!"

"I am Groot"

"Groot is right, why don't you just get her another blanket?"

"Enough! She is my responsibility. It is my decision!"

"Yes," Gamora conceded, "it is. So make one you can live with."

She and Drax glared at each other.

"What do you suggest?"

"We have extra blankets. She could sleep on the couch."

"So Groot can have her again?"

"Now you're talking! Sell her to me. She can feed Groot. I promise to stop her from talking so much. We could certainly use the peace and quiet around here."

They all glared at Rocket but it was Peter who asked, "She helped Groot. Why do you hate her so much? Or is that it? You're jealous because he suddenly has someone else to talk to?"

"Woah! Woah! Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. Groot doesn't have someone else to talk to! She isn't a someone. She's property. It ain't like the slavers are harvesting Terra. If she ended up on the dock it's because someone put her there. Amelia ain't her real name. So what you jackasses should be asking is who is she really and why the fuck was she up for sale in the first place?"


	6. Provenance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Beginning of the Backstory

In the end, they just messaged Rhomann Dey for information. Xandar didn’t approve of the slave trade but they had treaties in place with several systems that did. As a result, all slave trading was highly documented with any discrepancies leading to the immediate granting of citizenship to a slave entering Xandarian space.

 

With intersystem communication, there was no point in trying to calculate time zone for the person they were calling. They just left a message and knew Dey would get back to them when he could. Which was very quickly, under the circumstances.

 

About two hours later the pre-recorded reply arrived. “I wondered about Drax turning up on the registered owners list. And Terrans are rather unusual on the registry. I did some digging and 329 standard days ago a Kree national was forcibly evicted from Terra. He registered at the out post in the Terra Sol asteroid belt that he was traveling with a female slave named… Wow. Seriously? Terrans have such weird names. Wah-eye-fah. Then he sold her at his next stop at Alpha Centari.

 

“Two more owners since then, each sale for less than the previous one. Which is unusual, since slaves acquire new skills with each sale, their price usually goes up. The first owner spent a lot on money on medical for her, but not all at once. Over the 107 days he owned her, he paid to repair broken bones, burns, knife wounds. The last medical service he purchased for her was a not completely successful repair for bleeding vocal cords. It looks like he took her directly from the med bay to the market after that.

 

“From there she was purchased by The Humanoids of the Universe Traveling Petting Zoo. I thought that was a sex thing, but no, it appears it is a petting zoo. They kept her in a six-foot cube and people would pay to see her or extra to … well, pet or feed her. The zoo had a bunch of exotic humanoids. She wasn’t the most popular display but apparently she has some sort of mark on her back that is interesting.

 

“There was an incident with an A’askvarii. He was brought up on charges for animal cruelty. She was treated for vaginal and rectal tearing. The zoo sued for lost of revenue because after the incident she just sat in the corner and avoided eye contact. They won but she was sent to market 5 standard days later.

 

“She was on the market for 25 of the allowable 30 days. Which put her on our watch list. Day 29 “accidents” tend to happen and the slaves turn into pet food rather than be handed over to the civil authorities for public service.

 

“Under other circumstances we would challenge the initial registration however, they arrived on a Terran Government ship at the first port. I could normally call our contact with the Terran government to get more information on the eviction, but our contact with the Terran government, one _Jasper Spitwell,_ has not been returning our calls.  

"That's all the information I had a hand.  I will look into it further in the morning.  Looking forward to seeing you all sometimes next week.”

 

Peter got to explain to Drax that, no, her name wasn’t actually Wah-eye-fah it was more likely that some bastard had sold his wife. It was not happy news. Rocket had gone uncharacteristically quiet after the discussion of petting zoos.

 

Drax had spent the night on the couch.

 

In the morning they docked on Jadoon.  Landing was generally easier, because no one was chasing them yet.

Drax locked the door to his room and went for previsions. As the second best cook on the ship, he had a better idea of what to buy. Rocket said he was going looking for quickie jobs they could pick up to make a bit of money en route to Xandar, since Amelia didn’t actually eat the wood shavings Drax had previously purchased. Peter organized refueling. Gamora announced she was on a mission of her own that she didn’t feel like making up a lie to cover.

 

\---

 

She woke up alone in bed. It had been so long since that happened, it was rather disorienting. Beds were for people and for a long time now, she didn’t count. Before that, she hadn’t been alone. From the state of the blankets, Drax had spent the night somewhere else. She sat up and wobbled a bit. The artificial gravity had been turned off and wherever they had landed must be bigger than earth because she definitely felt heavier here. She got up, cleaned up and got dressed and went to make breakfast. The door was locked.

 

She took a deep breath and reminded herself not to panic. She tidied the room and again and sorted the laundry. The door was still locked. She stared at it and worked up her nerve to try knocking. No reply.

 

Not panicking was getting harder now. She found a wall, folded her legs into half lotus and concentrated on her breathing. Ignoring hunger came a lot easier now than it had when she first left Earth. She wasn’t sure how long she had been gone in time but it seemed like about 30lbs. She hadn’t really had them to lose. She was a runner before she left Earth. She worried about how her hipbones stuck out. She was cold all the time. Sitting still wasn’t really helping with that so she got up and put on a pair of pants over her leggings and wished for a sweater.

 

Sitting back down, she closed her eyes and concentrated on memories. Songs, knitting patterns, random scraps of poetry she had memorized over the years. She was half way through a stitch-by-stitch recap of how to turn a heel when knitting socks when the door opened and Drax beckoned her to come out.

 

Lunch was made and the table was set. Everyone was very quiet and avoiding eye contact.

 

She told herself: Don’t panic. Don’t panic. Get through lunch and wash the dishes and get the routine back.

 

She sat in the spot where she usually sat. Drax got up and traded places with Gamora. Fear gripped her heart. Dishes were passed around but she had lost her appetite. Gamora obviously didn’t approve of Amelia just passing dishes along and started adding food to both their plates.

 

It wasn’t too much food but she felt so awkward and uncomfortable that it was hard to eat. Conversation was quiet and tense and in Common. She was angry with herself for not having learned to speak the local language yet. Drax was the first owner who showed any interest in teaching her, but she hated that she hadn’t learned more through osmosis.

 

After lunch, Gamora and Peter worked together to wash the dishes as Rocket cleared them. Drax put them away. She felt left out as they all fell in together. She knew Drax wasn’t looking to buy a maid, but it was something to do that made her feel like she was contributing. Yet here she was, standing around useless.

 

Not useless! Drax had laundry that needed to be done. She knew where the machine was and after she had his done, maybe someone else would need a hand. Peter found her loading the clothes into the machine.

_“You don’t need to do that, you know.”_

_“I need to do something.”_

_“Why?”_

_“So he’ll keep me. He hasn’t hit me since I got here. He feeds me everyday. He feeds me FOOD instead of just kibble. I want to be useful. I want to stay with him. I am fully aware that out here, I am not a person. He treats me like one anyway. If he sells me to Rocket, I won’t have that anymore. If he puts me back on the market I sure as hell won’t have that anymore.”_

_“What if he lets you go?”_

 

She froze. “ _That isn’t funny. I have no marketable skills. I don’t speak the language. You boot me off this ship and I have the life expectancy of a mayfly.”_

 

She turned and got the broom and started back to the common room.

 

“ _Amelia? Did someone really feed you kibble?_ ”

 

She was very still for a moment. She didn’t turn to look at him when she spoke, “ _When they remembered_.” She went up the stairs.

 

Peter considered this. The Ravagers were not a great family by any stretch of the imagination. Meal time were a bit of a free for all, but he was right in there grabbing for himself.   Yondue spent too much time taking about eating Peter, but he had never been naked in a cage for people to grope. There was always food.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have made it this far, you should know that italics indicated English. Really, I am going to stop posting this note. See previous chapter notes


	7. Touch Therapy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See previous chapter notes

It wasn’t really a broom. It was a broom/mop/vacuum hybrid. It cleaned the whole floor in the kitchen, common room and Drax’s bedroom in one pass or about five minutes. Which was all it took for the laundry to be done.

 

Put the broom-thing back. Take out the laundry. Carefully folding and hanging up his pants and her dresses took another 10. That left about six hours until it was time to start supper.

 

She went looking for Peter to see if he needed anything.

 

She found Rocket first. He was banging around in the engine room and she couldn’t tell who was making the noise until he crawled out of a tube and saw her. She froze. He growled and raised the wrench he was holding. She dropped into a crouch and covered her head with her hands and waited for the blow to land.

 

It didn’t. She heard something heavy hit the floor and risked a peek.

 

He was watching her. “Come.” He gestured to the worktable.

 

She nervously obeyed.

 

He climbed up on the stool that brought him up high enough to use the work surface. “Here” He indicated she should put her hand on the table.

 

She looked at all the tools on the bench. Thought about all the ways they could be used to break her fingers. Then she put her left hand on the bench any way.

 

Tiny raccoon fingers gently stroked the skin on the back of her hand. The touch was light enough that it would have tickled if she hadn’t been so scared. As it was, she was waiting for those sharp claws to tear the skin from her bones. It didn’t happen.

 

“Sit.”

 

It was awkward crouching to a sit with her hand still on the table. Rocket was on her left and sitting meant she was facing the workbench with her back to the room.

 

She wasn’t expecting the tiny hand on her scalp. She shivered as he ran his fingers over the short fuzz of her hair growing back. He jerked his hand away at that.

 

“Go” It was the most angry noise she had ever heard from him and he was regularly pissed off at her.

 

She fled back to the kitchen and found a corner to hide in until her heart rate returned to normal.

 

Five hours and forty-five minutes until it was time to make supper.

 

Normally, Groot would find her and tell her stories to keep her entertained, but he didn’t seem to be around today. There was a computer that looked like a thin piece of Plexiglas that had a program for teaching children to read on it. He would let her use it sometimes.

 

Seven days to Xandar. Drax was mad at her for something. She had to figure out how to fix this. The ship had been filthy when she got here. She had meticulously scrubbed every room she had access to. She was running out of things to do.

 

Mental List of Things to do:

  1. Offer to do laundry for everyone at supper so that Peter could translate
  2. Make supper. (that should have been first)
  3. Plan supper (shit. So this list is in no particular order)
  4. Never, ever be alone in a room with Rocket again.
  5. Hope that Groot turns up soon



 

Drax and Gamora bustled into the kitchen checking that everything was secure. Drax took her to the couch in the common room and buckled her into the complicated five-point harness. Then he sat next to her and strapped himself in.

 

“Up?” It was barely a whisper.

 

He looked at her. ”Yes.”

 

Peter came on the intercom. She hadn’t known there was an intercom; she couldn’t understand a word he was saying. Then, just like on an airplane that runs the safety instructions in two languages, he switched to English for her. “ _Hold on tight, this is going to be exciting_.”

 

The ship lurched.

 

Her whole body went ridged. Both hands shot out to grab the edge of the couch, but Drax was sitting next to her so she ended up with a white knuckled grip on the couch with her left hand and his knee with her right. She didn’t even notice until he snaked his arm around hers and interlaced their fingers.

 

She stared wide-eyed at their hands, but Drax couldn’t tell if she was even seeing them. He covered both their hands with his right and used his thumb to rub small circles on the back of her hand and he started to hum the lullaby that he had sung for Kamaria when she was young. Terrans liked words in there songs, but this was a very alien concept to him. His people concentrated on the melodies.

 

After a few moments he noticed that she was matching his breathing. She wasn’t humming along, but she would exhale through the music and inhale in the pauses. She let go of the couch and scrubbed her face with her left hand. She did not try to retrieve her right. She turned to look at him and accidentally made eye contact since he had been watching her face.

 

“Sorry” it was a plea as she dropped her gaze to the floor.

 

She flinched as he brought his left hand up to her cheek so he paused almost but not quite touching her face. She turned her head to look at his palm then looked down his arm to his face. When she made eye contact this time he said, “Please.”

 

She closed her eyes and leaned the fraction of an inch to her left so that her cheek pressed into his palm. He kept watching her face for additional signs of distress. With her cheekbone in his palm, his thumb was in exactly the right place to run across the small line of hair on along the top of her eye socket.

 

They both jumped when Peter opened the door to the cockpit.

 

“ _Every body good?”_ He asked _._

_“Four hours until dinner.”_ She replied _._

Drax didn’t say anything. He just got up and headed to the cockpit.


	8. Unreliable Translation Services

_“Is he mad at me?”_

 

Peter sighed.  He still didn’t want to get involved but she looked ready to cry.  “ _I left Earth when I was ten.  You are the first person I have had to speak English to in the last 25 years.  I had a mix tape my mom made me a couple of Hardy Boys books, my homework and some comics with me when I left.  I don’t have the right words to explain this_.”  He paused and tried to read her face for a moment.  “ _Drax… can’t lie.  No little white lies to Aunt Martha about how you like the ugly sweater she gave you for Christmas.  No saying a bad thing in a nice way to avoid hurt feelings.  What he says is exactly what he means._ ”

 

“ _Groot told me he lacks the ability to use metaphor.”_

 

_“How is it that you speak Groot?”_

 

_“I don’t speak Groot. Not exactly.  After he roofied me, I can understand what he means.  I don’t hear words other than ‘I am Groot’ but I know what he means somehow.  I know that doesn’t make sense but none of this makes sense.”_

 

_‘Huh.  Drax is talking about wanting to get you a….  tiny computer in your brain that will help you understand other languages.  But it won’t help.   There aren’t enough English speakers to make one that will translate to English.  I had to learn Common first, then I could get the … operation and add extra languages from there.”_

 

_“Groot has a device that was teaching me to read.  But it made Rocket mad, so I can only use it when he won’t see.”_

 

Peter dug through a cupboard and pulled out a slightly ratty looking version of the device Groot had.  He wiped it absentmindedly on his shirt. _“Here you go.  All known knowledge.  Fill your boots.”_

 

_“Really?!”_

 

_“Hey, like you said, four hours until dinner.  That’s how I learned Common.”_

 

 _“In four hours before dinner?”_ She gave him a smirk _._

 

 _“It may have taken a bit longer than that.”_ He grinned back _. “Happy looks good on you.”_

 

That was the wrong thing to say.  Her smile vanished _.  “You didn’t actually answer the question about what I did to make Drax mad.  Is this going to make it worse?”_

 

_“Drax…is frustrated because wants to tell you stuff and can’t.  If he’s mad, you will know.  There will be a lot more shouting and knives to start with.”_

 

She didn't really see any of the crew after that.  For supper she found a six-legged thing in the chill chest that had a fat layer and skin texture that reminded her of duck. So she cooked it like that and served it with wilted greens.   Rocket turned up first, eyes almost closed, all his attention in his slightly twitching nose. When he saw she was the only one in the kitchen, he hesitated before sitting down at the table. 

 

That meant he was already sitting and watching her when she set the table.  She tried to make sure she kept the table between them as she worked. Set the plates. Set the cups. Get the flatware. Turn back to the table and gasp and almost drop the cutlery when Rocket is standing right in front of her. 

 

She even did that panicky little dance on the spot that happens when flight response is overridden.  Rocket snickered. Then he took the cutlery from her and set the table. 

 

She stood, frozen on the spot for a moment. When the adrenaline wore off a little, she said "Thank you."

 

He just snorted then left.

 

He was back a moment later with Drax and Gamora in tow.

 

Gamora shouted some that started with "Peter!" then continued too fast for her to catch the rest. Drax pulled out a knife. She almost swallowed her tongue.  Then Drax started carving the... whatever it was. He put a generous slice with skin on her plate.

 

She stared a slab of meet the size of half a chicken that over hung her plate in two sides and wondered how she could politely give 2/3 of it away.  Fortunately, Peter turned up.  He took one look at her plate and started to laugh.

 

There was a tense discussion.  Drax turned angry eyes on her.  She flinched.   He put away the knives and sat down.  There was more discussion then Peter said, “ _Eat as much as you want.  We’ll put the rest in the chill chest and you can have it later.”_

 

Whatever it was it was delicious.  She ate a bit more than half of what was on her plate and a helping of the greens.  She was full and happy when everyone left her to clear the table.

 


	9. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like one of those subtitled foreign films, but without the subtitles

She packed up the left overs, washed the dishes and wiped down the table while humming under her breath.  “ _Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace._

 _I dream at night, I can only see your fa_ …”  There was the sound of a chair scraping on the floor.

 

Drax was watching her.   She blushed and busied herself hanging up the towel.  Well, crashing into a chair, dropping the towel, picking up the towel, hanging it up and pushing the chairs in around the table.  Through the whole thing, Drax didn’t say anything or move; he just stood there watching her.  At the end, she came and stood in front of him and looked at the floor.  

 

Well aware that her accent was still cringe worthily bad, she said a quiet “Thank you,” and glanced up at his face.  He continued watching her dispassionately for a moment then silently offered her his hand.  

 

When she took it he lead her to the common room and sat on the floor.  She sat down next to him and looked around.  Then the music started.  The lights dimmed and all around them a city appeared.  People walked through the furniture and talked to each other.  It took a moment for her to realize it was a 3D movie in real 3D.  It was amazing.  She had no idea what was going on but it was beautiful to watch.

 

After a while she decided it was a heist movie.  There were chase scenes and explosions and a fight scene where the characters moved all around the room.  At one point a holographic knife flew past her and she flattened herself against Drax to be out of the way.

 

Rocket snickered.  God, she hated that sound!

 

After the show was done the lights came back up and everyone got up and started clearing picking up their cups.  She threw her arms around Drax, smooshed her face into his chest.  “Thank you!”

 

Drax was not expecting that.  He looked at Peter over her head.  Peter pantomimed hugging her back.  So he did.  She smelled nice.  She pulled away and smiled up at him.  The she took to cups from everyone and went to wash them.

 

When the cups were clean and put away, she came to his room and changed into her sleeping clothes.  She brushed her teeth and washed her face and when she came out of the bathroom…

 

He handed her a couple of blankets, pushed her out the door and locked it.

 

That was not how she expected that to go.

 

She took the blankets to the couch, found the tablet and sat up following links.  She had found a program that if you pointed the screen at something it would take picture of what you were looking at.  Then you could touch different items in the picture and it would tell you the names.  

 

She took a picture of the common room and Rocket was walking through on his way to the room he shared with Groot.  Still no sign of Groot.

 

Touch – couch

Touch – table

Touch – Quardrix battery

Touch – atmospheric converter

Touch – Subject: 89P13 – More information?

Touch – yes

 

Pictures of all the people on this ship… well, all the animals on the ship, no sign of Groot here either.  But that made sense, Peter had said that Groot had almost died and was regrowing.  They were in a parade and people where cheering.

 

Touch – Drax

Touch - More Information?

 

Three video clips turned up.  The first was him in some sort of refugee camp.  The second was him killing people.  A lot of people.  A lot of blue people.  The third was the parade.  OK… so … some sort of war hero, right?

 

The people he killed in the second clip were very dead by the time he was done.  He wasn’t shooting them.  He was ripping them apart with his hands and knives.

 

The lights went out and the ship started to cool.

 

She went back to the more information page about Rocket.  Diagnostic specs that she couldn’t read, but also a diagram of his skeleton.  That she could understand.  Zoom in on all the metal restructuring that had been done.  

 

Fuck.

 

Well, that completely explained why he was in such a pissy mood all the time.  There was no way there wasn’t chronic pain involved in those modifications.

 

Wow, the temperature drops fast in space.  She snuggled up a bit tighter in the blankets. And went looking for more information about the parade.  They seemed to be celebrating the death of blue guy with funny hat and black markings on his face. 

 

Touch – More information: Videos of funny hat guy killing everyone.  Everyone.  All ages, shapes, colours.  She hadn’t known people came in that shade of pink. Some sort of flashing warning.  Video of funny hat guy killing people somewhere with the same colour sky as the first video of Drax.

 

The screen turned off.  It was cold.  Her hands were cold.  It was really dark.   She tried to wrap up tighter. The only light was the faint glow from the clock she hadn’t quite figured out.  Meals were at 7, 14 and 21, lights out was at 27.  She wasn’t sure how long she had been reading but it had flipped over to 01.65.

 

She started to shiver.  In the silence the ship was making little knocking noises.  Intellectually, she knew it was likely the hull cooling.  Emotionally, after watching footage of a couple of massacres, it was really creepy.  She wasn’t ever a horror movie fan and this was worse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will slow down a bit since I have written myself into a corner and have to go back through my unpublished chapters to fix it.


	10. Snuggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Lily of the Comments

Two glowing eyes loomed out to the darkness.  She jumped.  In the dark all she could see was the shining eyes and the light reflecting off Rocket’s teeth.  She shivered and waited to see what he would do.

 

He was so close before he finally spoke that she could feel his breath on her cheek.  “Touch?”

 

It was a question not a demand.  She thought back to the word mothers would tell their children at the petting zoo.  “Gentle.”

 

The tiny hand stroked her cheek.  She said “Cold.”

 

She recognized most of his reply as swearing and “Come on.”

 

She stood up and completely lost him in the dark as soon as he turned around.  “Not see”

 

More swearing and a tiny hand in hers.  She was pretty sure they were headed to his room.  She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.  

 

The lights blinked on, dim, but still too bright after to the nearly total blackness.  Groot was in the corner.  He had broken out in vines that seemed to be anchoring him to the wall.  In Drax’s room the two beds were pushed together to make one big bed that took up almost all the floor space.  Here they were flipped up against the wall like bunk beds in a train car.  There was a blanket nest near Groot that looked about right for Rocket to sleep in.

 

He looked at her and pointed to the top bunk.  “Sleep there.”

 

It took a moment to figure out the bunk mechanism.  She threw her blankets up and climbed the notches in the wall to get up on the bed.  It was more comfortable than the couch but not actually much warmer.  Rocket turned the lights to almost but not quite off.  Since they had been all the way off when they got there, she assumed this was for her benefit.  “Thank you.”

 

Her mother had said, “Manners cost nothing, yet they are the oil that keeps the machinery of society running smoothly.”

 

She tried refolding the blankets so the two of them were half as big but four layers thick. That helped as long as she curled up so her feet didn't stick out the bottom. The mattress didn't seem to leech away her body heat like the Naugahyde on the couch.  She wouldn't have guessed that outer space would be so early '80s. 

 

Cold, though, that one she could have guessed. This time of night she often felt a great swell of empathy towards Orson Pink. She had likely missed a couple of Christmas specials by now. She missed TV and music and knitting and even her much maligned treadmill that she had nicknamed the hamster wheel.  

 

"Crap." She thought, "Now I'm going to have a good cry. And as much a Rocket creeps me out, apparently, he isn't quite scary enough to keep me from crying around him."  She tucked her head under the blankets and covered her face with her hands and tried to cry quietly so he wouldn't send her back out to the couch. 

 

"Fuck". Rocket said that a lot. She was pretty sure she could guess what it meant at this point. She pressed her face into the mattress.  If he was swearing, she wasn't being quiet enough. 

 

"Are you still cold, or what the fuck is wrong now?"

 

"I...not...understand...words... I ...want...talk". It was the longest proto-sentence she had attempted and she had no idea if it actually meant what she wanted to say. 

 

"Why are you crying?  Hurt? Hungry? Cold? What?"

 

"I not understand 'crying'"

 

"Eyes wet"

 

"Crying because crying.  No home. No ...  people. Too much bad."

 

"You're lonely?"

 

"Not understand lonely"

 

"No friends"

 

"Not understand friends"

 

He sighed and scrambled up to wall to the bed. She sat up and scooped up the blankets. "Sorry. I go."  

 

"Lay down."  She did. "Can I touch you?  Touch your head?"  He gave her a look as she tried to avoid eye contact. "Please?" he asked.  The please got her to look at him then nod. 

 

"Say 'I don't understand friends. I don't understand lonely. I don't understand crying.' Say don't. Not is wrong, it isn’t the right word."

 

Her head was cool with soft fuzz where Peter and Gamora had hair.   He was very careful with his claws and used as much pressure as he liked when Drax stroked his ears. 

 

She was quiet when she cried, when she spoke.  Then he remembered about the botched vocal cord repair and realized it was likely the only volume setting she had any more.  He had first hand knowledge of exactly what it was like to scream until your throat bled.

 

She laid there, face turned away from him and wept for a while.  When she was finished he got up and brought her water in a spill proof cup. 

 

"Thank you," she said. Then, "Don't coffee?  Not coffee?"

 

"Not coffee. Don't spill."

 

"N... Don't ... I don't understand spill." 

 

He took the cup, held it over the bed, turned it upside down then gave it a little squeeze so it dripped on Groot.  "Spill on Groot"

 

"Thank you Rocket"

 

"You're welcome."  He patted her shoulder. "Why are you so cold all the time?"

 

It was a rhetorical question so he was surprised when she answered. "Bad food. Wrong food. Much wrong food.  No.  No food much….  Much no food.  Blood wrong, bad now.  Cold always.  Dark more cold."

 

"Hmm." He scrambled down the bed and rooted around in his nest for a moment, coming up with a small bag of jerky.  "Eat this,” he said tossing it at her.

 

She took a piece, mainly to be polite.  Once she started eating, she didn’t stop until the bag was empty. Then she drank the rest of her water.  “Thank you.”

 

He watched her snuggle back under the blanket.  She tucked her feet up to huddle against herself for warmth.  He shucked off his shirt and said, "Don't touch me". Then he crawled under the blanket and cuddled up to her back. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is about how much I had written when I decided to publish the first chapter.


	11. Sleeping Together

Drax woke up, went through his morning routine and headed to the kitchen for breakfast.  There was no breakfast. There was no Amelia. He searched the ship, growing increasingly frantic. He started checking the logs to see if an airlock had opened in the night. Peter and Gamora joined in the search. 

 

They had checked every corner they could think of when Peter finally said, "We gotta get Rocket. His workroom is a minefield and I am not going in there alone. But I don't know if she knows that."

 

Which is how Drax found Rocket draped over Amelia's back with her shirt rucked up so that the raccoon was snuggled against the flowers on her skin. 

 

Which is how Amelia learned that an angry Drax is indeed very loud with more knives. And an angry Rocket involves a lot of teeth but only one gun.

 

It is a very big gun. 

 

There is a lot of shouting. She climbs out of bed by sliding over the edge and goes and stands in front of Drax so that his knife is pricking her breastbone as she breathes.   He looks at her and lowers the knife. 

 

"Sorry. Sorry."  She won't look at him and flinches when he moves he's hand to put the knife away. "Sorry, Drax"

 

"Did the little bastard hurt you?"

 

"Don't ...  Rocket not hurt....  me?"

 

"Why is that a question?"

 

"I don't understand word question"

 

He stares at her.  "Hurt! Yes? No?"

 

"Relax, I wouldn't mess up your precious piece of.... art". This might have gone over better if Rocket hadn't snickered half way through. 

 

Drax glared at Rocket, balled up his fists and stepped forward, into Amelia.  She brought her hands up and pressed her palms against his chest then pushed.

 

Newtonian physics meant that he stayed exactly where he was and she slid back about a foot, where she got her feet tangled in Rocket’s nest and started to fall.

 

Drax’s reflexes are legendary, so he caught her and pulled her to his chest.

 

"Not hurt!  Cold!  Not bad Rocket!  Bad Ka… Bad Amelia!  I sorry!  I much sorry!  I couch! No Rocket! Sorry. Please….  Sorry.”

 

He looked at her, tears streaming down her face, and picked her up.  He carried her to the common room where Peter and Gamora where standing listening to the whole thing.

 

“Peter, tell her I didn’t know where she was and I was afraid.  I’m not angry at her, I’m mad at myself for leaving her alone to freeze.”

 

“You idiot! She understands enough words that she would understand that if you thought about how to say it simply.”

 

Drax turned on Rocket again, “I will NOT speak to her as if she were a CHILD!”

 

Amelia tensed in his arms.

 

“Except that you hardly speak to her at all!  It is hard learning a new language!  She isn’t just downloading a new translator algorithm onto her implant!  She is actually learning!  Which she can’t do if people don’t talk to her!”

 

“I talk to her!  I’m teaching her the names of things!”

 

“Great!  So she can inventory the kitchen and play fetch but not actually make a sentence!”

 

They both glared at each other. 

 

Amelia looks at Peter, “I don’t understand. _Please tell me what is going on_.”

 

“ _Drax freaked out when he couldn't find you.  Thought you ran away or something.”_

 

“ _It’s a space ship, Peter, there is no where to run away to_.”

 

“ _Yes.  There is.  If you want to get away badly enough.”_

 

_“Oh.”_

 

_“Yeah.  Drax is mad at himself for not taking better care of you, but he is making a show of being mad at Rocket so he don’t have to deal with that yet.  Personally, I think at this point Drax is just pissed that Rocket got up close and personal with you.”_

 

 _“Oooh!  I used a raccoon as a heated blanket last night!  He even drooled down my back! That’s all kinds of sexy!”_ She squirmed out of Drax’s arms and started toward his room.

 

_“Yeah.  Word of advice.  Save the sarcasm for me and Rocket.  Drax won’t understand and would take that to mean you are honestly sexually attracted to small furry critters.”_

 

“You have made her angry.”

 

“She’s not angry at Peter.  She is just …  it’s a lot to deal with.  She’s trying to figure out how she fits in here, with us.”  Gamora added, “She’s scared of doing the wrong thing.”

 

“How would you know?  You don’t understand what she said either!”

 

“Because I’m trying to figure out how I fit in here too.  I can see the things I’m feeling on her face.  Including the years of physical abuse that seem to have ended but I’m never quite sure if they are really over.  You yell and she prepares herself for the blow that she expects to follow. I am your friend, but my hand still goes for my knife when you raise your voice.  I know you won’t fight me, but instinct still kicks in.  She HOPES you won’t hit her, but doesn’t know if maybe she just hasn’t done something that will push you that far yet.

 

“And you need to sort that out or she is going to get so exhausted waiting to find where that line is, how far she can go before you hit her that she will start misbehaving just to get the inevitable beating out of the way.”

 

“I would not hit her!”

 

“Tell her that!”

 

“She won’t understand!”  

 

“Say it any way.  Rocket is right.  Just talk to her as if she can understand and eventually, she will. She said sorry six times, Drax!  Six!  And she said “bad Amelia.”  She was taking responsibility for your anger.  She shouldn’t have to do that.  

 

“If she takes responsibility for you being mad then she can give her self the illusion that her actions, which she can control, are responsible for the blow that she can’t.  It is a tiny bit of power or the illusion of power that people try to have in situations that are completely out of their control.  It is something people learn when they are in long-term abusive relationships.  “If I only didn’t do this then he wouldn’t hit me” lets them pretend that they can change to stop the abuse.  But it wasn’t her fault and it wasn’t you. And things are different now.  Let her know she is safe.”

 

\---

 

Amelia missed all of that. She went to Drax's room and had a shower. God, she missed baths!  This weird orange stuff got you clean and kept you from smelling bad but it wasn't the same as a proper bath. She gave herself a good scrubbing to get rid of any lingering eau de raccoon.  Rocket didn't stink like the trash pandas back home but he definitely had his own smell. Not bad just different.

 

It was getting a bit easier to concentrate.  That was one part actually getting to eat on a regular basis, one part settling into to the idea that she might actually be safe here.  Rocket hated her guts but he still went out of his way to make sure she was warm last night.  If she believed Peter, Drax was genuinely concerned for her welfare.

 

When he was holding her against her chest she had noticed that he either had a baculum or a raging hard on.  It would be helpful to know which. She wondered if she would be able to find some internal anatomy information on Drax like she had for Rocket.

 

She would need to have a think about that. Drax smells good. She didn't usually go for the alpha male types, but it felt really good having his arms around her. Was that because she was actually interested in him or was this just a fawn response?  She had been professionally aware of fight, flight, faint or fawn.  Before she left Earth, she hadn't expected to become as intimately familiar with them as she now was. 

 

She thought that being aware enough to ask herself the question had to be a good sign.  In theory, she had a better than average mental tool box for dealing with PTSD, but there was a big difference between having information and being able to self treat. 

 

Hell, she shouldn't be self diagnosing, but between the night terrors and the random outbreaks of crying...  Since she left Earth, life had been rough. She felt entitled to at least a little PTSD. 

 

Find clothes. Tights, leggings, warm dress with long sleeves, light dress with short sleeves, boots.  Drax might have obsessively outfitted her in one colour but at least everything matched even when she was basically wearing two outfits at the same time.  She wished he had gotten her a sweater.

 

"Take a deep breath and go make breakfast. I can do this. Nap later. Maybe". And, mental pep talk completed, she went into the kitchen. 

 

Drax was cooking... something.  It smelled good. Her stomach made and embarrassing loud demand to be fed. Everyone turned to stare at her. She blushed, rubbed her stomach and went to set the table. 

 

Rocket came up behind her and said, "I'll set the cutlery". 

 

Except it wasn't really cutlery. The forks were a little bit bigger than a dinner fork but with only two tines. There were spoons. Knives were more of a bring your own situation, which meant that she always needed someone to cut her meat for her. She wasn't about to complain, though. She was just happy they were feeding her meat.   Or anything, really. 

 

"Thank you Rocket"

 

"You're welcome."  Everyone turned to stare at him at point. "What?  I can be fucking polite if I fucking wanna."

 

"There's the Rocket we know and love!"  It was Peter who said it, but Gamora snorted in agreement. 

 

"Shut up and set the god damn cups."

 

Breakfast was some sort of hash. A huge spoonful was added to her plate. "Thank you, Drax."

 

He froze for a moment then said, "You are welcome, Amelia."

 

She smiled up at him. He smiled back. It had been a while. It felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse!


	12. Misunderstanding Research

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the author tries to end with a joke.

This was probably wrong, but to the best of Amelia's understanding space travel involved a series of jumps. Cut back on life support for a few hours while all the power went to the engines or whatever made the ship go. Six or seven hours of freezing in hyperspace or a wormhole or whatever the Tardis traveled in. Park near a sun for.... 18? 20? hours to warm up and recharge the ... batteries? Warp drive?  Thingy.   Then repeat. 

 

Or at least that's how it seemed. The windows were in the cockpit and they always seemed to be facing a sun during waking hours. However, it was noticeably a different sun each time. Today, there were two small suns. 

 

She had gone into the cockpit to ask if there were any jobs she could do but now she was completely transfixed.  It was the most amazing thing. 

 

The look on her face must have been entertaining because when Peter turned to look at her he started to laugh. She startled then grinned at him too.  _"Any small jobs I can help with?"_

 

_"Find the tablet and keep practicing Common."_

 

_"I think it ran out of battery last night. I left it in the couch."_

 

_"Yeah, I put it back in the drawer this morning. It should be ready to go."_

 

_"Thanks. Umm... he's staring at me.  Does he need anything?"_

 

 _"A smack upside the head maybe. No.  You're fine. Time to hit the books_."  

 

She got the tablet took a quick picture of the cockpit in and headed out to find a place to study. Feeling that she needed to work up to this she started out with the chair. 

 

Touch chair - sit in chair – move chair 

Touch floor - stand on floor - lay on floor - chair on floor - hole in floor

Touch Peter Quill - more information - Ravagers - Terra - Ronin (guy in funny hat)

Touch Terra - 

  Maps - from the 1970's by the look of them

  Contact- that thing in New York - Roswell hmm that was real? – known historic contact in the last 5000 Terran years

  Touch inhabitants - wow. They got the anatomy right there

 

Back, back touch Drax - criminal records- Ronin - Touch planet she didn't recognize 

Touch inhabitants- anatomy 

 

Hmmm.  Females are larger than males.  Rib cage is quite different. Heart is more centred. Every thing else looks about the same.  Not the most detailed set of illustrations. Why is there more anatomy included in the human section?  There can't be that many Earthlings in space.  

 

Oh.  Well, that answers that question.  On the other hand she had learned not to take an erection personally.  She was easily two feet and a 150 pounds smaller that the textbook female of his species. She thinks it must be awkward cuddling someone not culturally attactive and waking up with a normal physiological response. 

 

Except now she just spent a couple of hours thinking about sex and was also having a normal physiological response.  Ignore it.  Time to go learn about the flight deck. 

 

Eventually, she found a reading program that seemed to be aimed at about a Grade 2.  Simple words that if you touched them were read allowed and a gif like video demonstrating what was said in the sentence.  “OK,” she thought, “now we are cooking with fire.”

 

A couple of hours later her back was cramped from hunching over the tablet and her eyes were loosing their ability to focus.   She went to the kitchen to put the tablet in the drawer and realized everyone else was done eating. 

 

There was a place set for her. Cut fruit, two sandwiches, something cheese like and a beer. They hadn't given her beer before. _"For me?"_

 

_"You betcha. Learn anything new?"_

 

 _"Well, apparently, Roswell was real. And the big guy's heart is literally in the wrong place.  By our standards, at least, although I envy the cartilage placement in his rib cage.”_ She nodded at Drax then opened the beer and took a tentative sip _. "Not bad. What's the alcohol content like?"_

 

_"You lost me at heart in the wrong place, ma'am. But I start to wobble a little after about three of those."_

 

_"I'll make sure to pace myself. I always was a cheap drunk and being down 30 pounds won't have helped."_

 

_"You a doctor?"_

 

_"Hell, no!  So don't get sick. I can't help."_

 

She turned to the man sitting next to her and asked, “Drax want help?”

 

“Help with what?”

 

“Help clean…things?”

 

“Everything is clean.  You do an excellent job of clean up after us.  You should eat your lunch.”

 

“Thank you.  Not lunch help? _Peter how do I ask if he wants help after lunch?”_

 

“Do you want help after lunch?”  Peter said it and Amelia tried to repeat it.  It took a couple of tries for her to get it right.

 

“No.  Thank you.”  Drax said when she was finally satisfied with how it came out.

 

“Sleep… Amelia sleep after lunch?”

 

“You want to have a nap?”

 

She looked at Peter who translated.  “Yes.  Please.  If no…  If Drax not… don’t need help.”

 

Rocket piped in with “If Drax doesn’t need help.  Or you could say if you don’t need help.”

 

She nodded at Rocket then looked at Drax.

 

“Sleep if you need to.  I’ll wake you when it is time for food.”

 

“Thank you, Drax” she said.  Then she cleared her plate and kissed his cheek and walked into Rocket and Groot’s room.

 

“There are many things I don’t understand,” Drax began.  “At this moment the two that at troubling me are why did she almost bite my face? And why is she going into Rockets room?”

 

“Her blankets are in there.” Rocket said.  “Not sure about the biting thing though, that was just weird.”

 

“It wasn’t a bite it was a kiss.” Peter said.  “It’s a thing people do. Well, Terrans do.  It’s a sign of affection.”

 

Gamora felt up to commenting on this one based on person experience.  “Terrans use kissing as a place holder for oral sex.  Their skin is thin and sensitive and they enjoy using their mouths on each other.  It is most pleasant.”

 

“I kissed my mom and my Grandpa all the time back home, it was not a place holder for oral sex!  I really need a change of subject now.”

 

“They put their mouths on each other instead of talking about sex?”

 

“No!  We don’t!  I can’t believe we are having this conversation! Go find something else to do!”

 

….

 

Drax came out of the kitchen to find Amelia swaddled in blankets and yawning on the couch.  He took the tablet and told her to sleep.

 

Then he went and checked her browser history.

 

He knew she wasn’t reading the articles she was clicking on, but he could.  Mostly likely she was just looking at the pictures.  He wasn’t surprised that she was looking at pictures of Terra, he understood what it was like to be homesick.  But he was surprised that she spent so much time on Terran anatomy.  He would have to ask Quill if the information was correct.  

 

Perhaps he should ask Gamora.

 

Hmm…  She looked at his anatomy as well.  Mostly looking at his species’ torsos.  He pulled up a side by side comparison.  Their ribs were different and Terran hearts were all pushed to the left.  Their sternums were rudimentary, not offering any protection for the heart at all.  She spent some time looking at pictures of his heart and lungs. Placement aside Terran’s heart and lung structure and function were very similar to his.  The time stamps suggested she had barely glanced at the digestive system.  Then on to reproduction.

 

Hmmm… She was looking at a lot of pictures of internal structures that weren’t entirely accurate but only spent less than 3 minutes on the reproduction system.  She hadn’t looked for any reproduction videos.   Were there any Terran reproduction videos? 

 

The tablet locked down.  “Please provide thumb print to access additional data.” Time to find Quill.

 

…

 

“No! No! No! I am not letting you access my porn collection!”

 

“I assure you it is for educational purposes.”

 

“I said no!” Peter stormed out of the room.

 

Drax looked at Gamora.  “You were right, they don’t like talking about sex.”

 

For some reason, she found this very funny.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No idea if anyone else thought that was funny.


	13. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a real thing. I don't really get into it in detail because I believe my readers are intelligent and will either get it or know how to run wikipedia to expand their knowledge base.

Many years ago, when Amelia was in University back on Earth, her name was not Amelia.  One of the chapters in one of not Amelia’s classes was on Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs.  That people will seek out or prioritize means of survival over safety.  Survival for Maslow meant food, water, shelter (including clothing), and sex.

 

It was the last one that causes so much discussion.  

 

That by and large, humans who have access to basic physiological requirements will prioritize safety over friendship and intimacy.  And will prioritize friendship over self esteem.

 

She wondered how she fell on that scale now.  Since joining these people her physiological needs were consistently being met.  By and large she felt safe.  More importantly, when she didn’t feel safe she could see that maybe she was safe and that she was just scared because of the things in her past.

 

Was she working on friendship at this point?  Peter seemed friendly enough.  Rocket…  OK, she had no idea what was going on with Rocket.   Groot was awesome when he was awake.  Gamora was sort of just there.  She mostly ignored Amelia but still had made a point of make sure Amelia took her pain meds while she had needed them.  Amelia knew that when Drax was doing something she found scary or intimidating, Gamora was the one that gave him grief over it.

 

She wasn’t sure what to think of Drax.  He had been really kind and gentle right up until the food fight.  Then he had distanced himself from her.  Nonetheless, he made sure she was fed.  He included her in what he was doing and seemed interested in what she was doing.  

 

Drax somehow felt like that weird first crush she had had in middle school.  Actually, that was exactly how it felt.  Lust and hormones and uncertainty and absolutely no idea how to talk to anyone of the opposite sex.  Or species, in this case.  It likely won’t be nearly as bad if her didn’t swank around half naked all the time.  He was beautiful in a way she would not have considered back home.  She had been with him a few weeks and she was still noticing new details in his body art.

 

When she woke from her nap, Drax was sitting on the floor near the couch watching her sleep.  She jerked herself upright and searched her sleep foggy brain for the right words.  “Need help?”

 

He didn’t say anything but shook his head no.  He stood up.  She stood up and hurried to fold the blankets and tuck them under the couch.  When she was finished she turned and looked at him.  He noticed she actually looked at him, watching his face for cues.  When he first … purchased her…  she would go out of her way to avoid eye contact.  This was not the right thing to do, but he promised himself that he would stop at the first sign of distress.

 

He held out his hand and when she took it, he led her back to his room.  He closed the door and turned up the heater a little.

 

Rocket had told him to choose small words but just talk as though she could understand.  All right then.  “Can I touch you?”

 

She looked at him, analyzing his face, then nodded cautiously.   “Gentle, please.”

 

“If you need me to stop, I will.”  He watched her face as he carefully, put his hand on her arm.  She was watching the motion and tensed slightly as he approached but relaxed as soon ad he made contact.  “Stop?” he asked.

 

“I good.”  

 

There were too many ways for him to interpret that one and he wanted to be very clear about this.  “Always good.  Need me to stop?”

 

“No.”

 

“Can I see your back?”

 

She needed sometime to think about this.  Watching her face he could see exactly when she translated what he was saying in her head.  “Look here?” she asked and pointed to her back.

 

“Yes.  Can I see the flowers?”

 

“I don’t understand word flowers.”

 

“Picture?  Plant?”  No sign of understanding.  He racked his brain.  “Pretty Groot on your back?”

 

“Tattoo?”

 

Of course she would understand the word tattoo.  He felt like an idiot.  The man who had sold her had used that word.  “Yes.”

 

She nodded, then turned her back towards him and took off her dress but not her bra or panties, even though the image ran underneath them.

 

Knowing that she couldn’t see what he was doing he was very, VERY careful when he reached out to touch her.  She shuddered, then writhed and made a little squeaking noise.  He jerked his hand away and said, “I am so sorry.” Then made to leave. 

 

She quickly turned and caught his wrist before he had even made it a step away from her.  “Stop.”  

 

He froze.

 

She let go of his wrist and looked at him.  “Can I touch you?” she asked.  Her accent wasn’t good but he understood.

 

“Of course.  Always.”  He didn’t even hesitate.

 

“No.  You say stop, I stop.  Understand?”

 

“Yes.”

 

She looked at his face for a moment, then nodded again.  Then she brought her hand up to his chest and, with barely any contact, brushed her fingers over the ridges of his scarification. 

 

He shivered.  Then he understood.

 

“Touch like this.” She said as she pressed a little harder.  She ran her fingers down his arm and took his hand and pressed it to her shoulder.  “This much.”  His fingers were firmly on her skin, but barely enough to compress her skin.  “Understand?”

 

He nodded.  She let go of his hand and turned around.

 

He ran his hands over her back.  Compared to his species, her skin was impossibly soft. Down her back and over the two tiny dimples just above the waist band of her panties.  Across her waist, then he switched to using the back of his hands as he ran them up her sides were her waist tucked in above her hip bones then over her ribs and up to her shoulders.  He held he shoulders and leaned in so his mouth was right next to her ear.  “Stop?”

 

She took a deep breath, then shook her head no.

 

“Can I kiss you?”

 

Her breathing stopped for a moment.  When it started again, she gave a hesitant nod.  

 

He carefully put his mouth where her neck joined her shoulder and pressed his lips to that spot.  He provided a tiny bit of suction then licked the spot with the tip of his tongue as if her were ritually cleaning her.

 

As if she were his mate.

 

Then he stopped.  He took a step back.  “I will stop if you want me too.”

 

“I don’t understand the words to talk.”

 

“Need me to get Peter?”

 

“No!” Her voice was never very loud, but this was almost a shout.

 

“He said Terrans don’t like talking about sex.”

 

“I don’t understand word sex.”

 

That was a very complicated thing to try to explain.  He went with the most basic explanation he could think of.  “Sex makes children.”

 

“Oh.”  She blushed.  “Much different.  No Drax and Amelia children.”

 

He froze.  The nodded and handed her the dress.  She didn’t take it.

 

“No children, sex maybe?”

 

Four complicated words, his brain stuttered looking for ways he could be misunderstanding that.

 

She leaned in, pushed his outstretched hand with the dress aside and kissed his chest.  She licked him gently, then she scraped her teeth over his skin.  He groaned.

 

“Stop?” she asked with a smile.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full discloser, I have never written porn before, but the way Drax handles consent with someone who can barely speak the language is a key point in establishing their relationship going forward. If you hate it, please be gentle.
> 
> And, as always, please feed the muse.


	14. Not Sleeping Together - Explicit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Had to go back and do some editing. My apologies

She led him by the hand to the bed and had him sit.  She took off her boots. He did the same.

 

She stepped between his legs, put her hands on his face and kissed him.  She ran her tongue over his lips then dipped it into his mouth, her lips working on his.  He tried to copy her.  She moaned.

 

After a moment she stopped and looked at him.  “I want Drax gentle.  Drax want I gentle?”  She ran her hand down his chest.

 

“No.”  He took her hand and curled her fingers then raked her claws over his chest.  They weren’t sharp enough to draw blood but the sensation aggressive.

She kissed his neck and nibbled it with her teeth, then bent forward and kissed his chest and her hands tried to undo his pants.  He helped her pull them off and kicked them aside.

 

She took off her bra and tucked his thumbs into the waistband of her tights.  She put both hands on his face and kissed him as he pulled down her pants and cupped her ass with his hands.

 

“Kiss here.  Mouth, tongue.”

 

He did as he was told and licked her breast then applied a little suction and gave it an experimental nibble.

 

She moaned and slid her hands between his legs. Then she hesitated “Can I touch you?” she asked, her hand less than an inch from his dick.

 

“Yes!”  Then he hesitated, “Little gentle.”  She laughed and ran her hands over his ridges.

 

“Different,” she said. She stopped kissing him and turned for a better look.  His penis looked like something out a fetish dildo supply catalog.  It was too long for her to take it all with a slightly flared knot at the base.  There were soft, well, soft for Drax, ridges or large scales along the underside.  He seemed to be fully erect but the foreskin wasn’t retracted.  She ran her thumb gently over the tip and watched as he closed his eyes and lay back on the bed groaning.  She did it again, his hips bucked.  She leaned forward and took the tip in her mouth, swirling her tongue over the head.

 

“Stop!” He sat bolt upright, grabbed her shoulders and pulled her off of him.

 

She looked at him eyes wide.  “Not good?”

 

“Not safe. Not in your mouth.”

 

“I not bite.”

 

He pulled her close and kissed her mouth. He ran his hands down her back and kneaded her ass.  “Tongue, maybe” he said, “not in your mouth.”  

 

He pulled her onto the bed and licked her nipples again. He sucked and licked the right one while gently kneading the left, rolling the nipple between his fingers.  Then he ran his hand down her belly and between her legs.  He found her slick.

 

“Show me” he said.

 

She put her index finger into her mouth and pulled it out wet, then she slid it between her legs.  Spreading her knees a bit she pushed it into her body and pulled out more wet.  Then she spread apart her folds and rubbed a spot above her opening, before dipping her finger back inside.  “Good here,’ she said, “much good here.” She rubbed the out side spot again.

 

“Can I try?”

 

She nodded.  He licked his finger and copied her motion. She had a little bump on the much good spot when his finger found it, her opening twitched.  Hmm.  She seemed to think mouths on reproductive organs were the norm, so… “Kiss here?” He asked.

 

“ _Please._ ” It was a whine.  He wondered if she knew she had switched languages.  He knew that word.

 

He pumped his finger in and out a couple of times.  Then stopped. She whimpered and looked at him. He licked her juices from his finger.  Salty, slightly sweet. He put two fingers in his mouth and watched the look on her face as he drew them out.  He knew the answer, but he asked anyway.  “Stop?”

 

She shook her head no, but grabbed his fingers.  With her other hand, she demonstrated a little beckoning motion.

 

He gave this a try.  She writhed.  He tried that with his tongue lapping against her nub.  He juices got sweeter, then her hips bucked and the walls clenched around his fingers.  He spread them apart a little as she fluttered around them.  She reached down and pulled his head away from her body.  He left his fingers in place until she stilled.

 

“Thank you.”

 

No one had ever thanked him for sex before.  He wasn’t sure what to say to that, but settled on “You’re welcome.”

 

She laughed at that.  Fingers still inside, he could feel the laugh on them.  He wondered if he could feel that on his member sometime.  She pulled away and sat up. “Show me,” she said.

 

Feeling bold, he switched to his other two fingers and dipped them into her.  He gave them a little pump so they were wet too.  He wrapped his fist around himself and started pumping, dragging his thumb over the end with each stroke.  He came with a gasp.  

 

She gasped too.

 

His foreskin had retracted then flared out making a second knot at the bottom of the head of his penis.  Three little flesh coloured tendrils were revealed from under his foreskin and were milking the air.  She reached out to touch one.  His hand shot out and grabbed her wrist tightly. “Very, very, much gentle.” She nodded.  He let go of her wrist.  

 

Holding out one finger she reached for one of his tendrils but didn’t touch it.  She put her finger in its path and when it brushed against it, the tendril coiled around her finger for a moment before letting go. 

 

She dipped her finger into his cum and tasted it thoughtfully. It was salty, but not bitter and tasted vaguely of …  allspice?  Something spicy but not hot.

 

“Tongue?” She asked. He nodded, looking at her through sleepy eyes.  She licked up his ridges, loving the sensation on her tongue.  Over the knot that would definitely obstructed her airway if it was in her mouth, and up to the tendrils.  All three of them grabbed her tongue and firmly pulled it to his slit, which oozed something very sweet as he came again with a roar, body arching off the bed, arms flailing around him. He collapsed on the bed, panting, which turned to snoring almost at once.  The tendrils released her tongue and sank back below his foreskin as his penis began to soften.

 

Hmm.. two stage ejaculation.  The second cum tasted completely different than the first.  That would take some thinking about.

 

The intercom squawked, “ _Everything OK in there?  Amelia are you OK_?”  

 

She reached over and pressed the talk button.  “ _I’m fine.  I just found Drax’s off switch._ ”

 

“ _What!?_ ”  Peter could hear Drax snoring in the background.

 

“ _His off switch.  Turns out he was hiding it in his pants_.”  She giggled.

 

Peter groaned, “ _I did not need to know that_.”

 


	15. Fall Out

When Drax woke up, Amelia was sitting on the bed, cleaned and dressed.  She had a plate of vegetables and two cups of water.  Everything about that was so culturally wrong to him that he felt completely ashamed.

 

She noticed and looked worried.  “Thank you, Drax”

 

He didn’t say anything.

 

“Drax not want…” She hesitated, searching for the right words, “I wrong?”

 

He pulled her close, “You are wonderful.  Water and food after sex should be my job.”

 

“OK.  Pants then supper.”

 

Yeah.  He could do that.

 

He went to the kitchen and started supper.  Amelia stripped the bed and went to the cargo hold to do the laundry.

 

Gamora appeared out of the shadows.  “He hurt you?”

 

“No.”

 

“Are you lying?”

 

“I don’t understand word lying.”

 

Gamora reached over and pulled up Amelia’s sleeve revealing the bruise around her wrist. “He hurt you but you say he didn’t so he doesn’t hurt you more.”

 

“Oh.  No.  Drax ask touch? Ask stop?  I say yes or no.”

 

“Why this?”

 

“He say stop. He stop me hurt him.”

 

“Why did he need to stop you?”

 

Amelia looked at Gamora.  She really struggled to find words that she knew to accurately describe what happened. “I … touch bad place.  No... I touch hurt place?  Wrong place?”

 

“You really aren’t hurt?”

 

Amelia rolled her eyes and sighed.  Then she stripped and held out her arms.  “Not hurt, see?”

 

Gamora was a little startled, but instead of just looking for bruises she took the opportunity to run her hands over the woman’s naked body checking for injuries as she went.  Finding no others, she nodded. Amelia put her dress back on.

 

“Sometime,” Gamora said, “I would very much like to watch you and Drax.”

 

Amelia looked at her sharply, then gave Gamora a grin, “I understand.”

 

Gamora smiled back.

 

…

 

Drax, it turns out, was making stew.  Amelia joined him in the kitchen and got things out to make some biscuits. He stiffened watching her.  She smiled at him then kissed his lips.

 

“Please let me cook for you.”

 

She gave him a puzzled look. “I set table?”

 

“Just sit down please.”

 

“OK,” she sat at the table watching him.  

 

Gamora made tea and poured them both a cup.  After a few minutes of drinking tea in silence, Gamora stood up. “Come,” she said and led the way to her room.

 

Gamora had her own room.  The bottom bunk was down, the top bunk was up and she had a table and a chair.  Amelia knew that Gamora mostly spent the nights in Peter’s room.  Or at least, started the nights in Peter’s room.  This room was meticulously clean, the bed made with military precision. Gamora folded it up into the wall, then did the same with the table.  The chair was pushed into a corned.

 

Gamora opened a drawer and pulled out four rolls of cloth. She set three on the table and then took Amelia’s hand.  She began wrapping the cloth around it.  Amelia recognized what she was doing and took over wrapping her hand like she was going to boxing. Gamora watched, nodded, then started wrapping her own hands.  Amelia was used to tape, but Gamora tucked the end of the wrap into the cuff.

 

She had Amelia make fists.  She adjusted the woman’s stance a couple of times until she was happy with it.  “Hit,” she said.

 

It went significantly better than Gamora was expecting.  Amelia stood no chance, of course, but her form was reasonably good, for a civilian, and she didn’t stop after the first punch.  Gamora bobbed and weaved and avoided every swing.  Amelia did not get angry or sloppy.  She did not give up, but she was running out of breath.

 

“Stop!” 

 

She stopped, but did not lower her fists.

 

“Good.  I can work with that.  If you are going to be staying, you will have to learn to fight.” Gamora started un-wrapping her hands.  Amelia did not. “Done.  Take that off.  Five days to Xandar. We have to get you healthy, and we’ll start training.”

 

…

 

At mealtime, Peter used English to ask Amelia if he should be making a joke about walking funny.  She said sure, if he was willing to explain it to the big guy.  

 

Rocket came in, he nose twitching. “You OK?”

 

She smiled nodding.

 

He looked at Gamora, “You check?”

 

Amelia choked a little.  Gamora rolled her eyes, “Of course I checked.”

 

Drax narrowed his eyes, “I would not hurt her.  I am offended that you would think so.”

 

Gamora reached across the table and pushed up Amelia’s right sleeve.

 

“Oh.”

 

“I’m OK.  Good food, Drax.  Thank you.”  The words were coming easier with practice.  When she reached for them she would sometimes find she knew what she wanted to say.  Often, she just needed some prompting to get her started in the right direction.  She had been around this language for a while now.  It’s just that this is the first time she has been allowed and encouraged to try it out for herself.

 

Rocket was looking nervously around the table.  “I think Drax is right.  She can’t sleep out here alone.  Even with two blankets, it gets too cold out here.”

 

“I am correct in all things!”

 

“And I think Gamora is right.  She is tiny and frail and he could crush her in his sleep without even noticing.”

 

“I would not!”

 

“Not on purpose.” Rocket conceded,  “Did you even notice that you almost broke her wrist?”

 

“What are you doing, Rocket?” Gamora was suspicions. 

 

“Before we have another morning panic like this one, we should figure this out like rational beings.”

 

“Fine!  She can sleep in my room and I’ll sleep with Peter.”

 

“Will you, though?  All the night through?”

 

“I could. And if not, there are two bunks in my room.”

 

“True but will you also wake at 2 in the dark to notice she smells like hunger and bring her food?  Because last night I did.  Did you ever do that Drax?”

 

The big man glared at him but said nothing.

 

Amelia was watching them.  “I don’t understand.  _Tell me what is going on_.”

 

“You had her for weeks now.  She hasn’t gained any weight and she still is too thin to thermo regulate on her own.  You can’t take care of her alone.  And maybe when you brought her here, I didn’t care if she lived.  But I do now.  You… WE have to take better care of her than we have been.  From where I’m sitting, she doesn’t smell like she’s yours yet.  Can you tell me that you are sure that if she has a starts screaming in her sleep again, that you could wake up and not attack?”

 

Peter joined in at that point.   “What do you mean she doesn’t smell like his?”

 

“ _What is going on?”_

 

“My people scent mark our mates.”

 

“So, you took care of that this afternoon, right?  She said she found your off switch.”

 

“What?”

 

_"Peter, tell me what is going on, please."_

 

“What do you mean, she found my off switch?”

 

“ENOUGH!”

 

They all turned to look at Gamora.

 

“Drax.  You removed her from your bed because you agreed it would be best for her.  Has that changed?”

 

He looked at Amelia and paused to consider his words. “I don’t know.”

 

Gamora turned to Rocket.  “What do you want out of this, Rocket?  Tell the truth, then we can decide based on accurate information instead of trickery.”

 

“She started smelling of hunger in the middle of the night.  I fed her my dried meat snacks.  It stopped.  I don’t want her to die.  I want her to live and help Groot finish regrowing.”

 

“Is that all?”

 

“Groot is hibernating now.  I didn’t realize I was lonely.  It was nice having someone to… take care of.  It isn’t just about what is best for her.  Her sleeping in my room is best for the all of us.  Drax won’t wake up next to a corpse.  She will grow stronger if we all make sure she eats.  I won’t be alone.  She can take care of Groot.  We were in port today.  If I was just looking for a warm body, I could have bought one.  But it looks like Drax is adding this one to the family and none of use want to deal with the fallout of something bad happening to her.”

 

“Agreed.  Drax?”

 

“Agreed.  But I don’t like this as a solution.”

 

“In the mean time, I get to the be lucky one and explain this to her.  How exactly do you suggest I do that?  Your Boyfriend is a homicidal maniac and we’re all worried he’s going to kill you in your sleep?”

 

“I suggest you not say that Peter.”

 

“Thanks, Drax, but that was not helpful.”

 

“ _Peter, I’m trying really hard to follow this conversation and I hoping I have this wrong, but is the Big Guy going to hurt me?  Is that why Ms. Green was checking for bruises?_ ”

 

Gamora spoke first, “tell her I don’t want her sleeping with Drax until she gains some weight.  Then ASK her if she is OK sleeping in Rocket’s room or if she wants to one of my bunks.”

 

“Hey!”

 

“She gets a say in this too, Rocket.”

 

Peter translated what Gamora told him to say.

 

Amelia looked at him.  “ _Now tell me what you aren’t telling me_.”

 


	16. Bed Hopping

Peter looked at the ceiling and tried to think about how to answer Amelia’s question with out freaking her or anyone else out.

 

“ _You’re stalling.”_

 

 _“I’m thinking.  Out of practice in English, remember?”_ He took a deep breath and blew it out. _“OK.  Here’s the thing.  Big guy over there wants to keep you around as part of the family.  Short and fluffy was pissed off about that at first, but seems to have come around.  Green meanie started getting all protective of you once the big guy suggested he wanted to get in your pants a couple of days ago.  I don’t think she cares as long as you want it too, but she is worried you don’t and are just going along with it because you don’t have a choice.”_

 

_“Anything else?”_

 

_“Fluffy wants you in his room.  He says its because he’s lonely and you can help our resident house plant. Personally, I noticed how after you woke up from your full body Entz hug, you asked if you had been raped and then didn’t say if you thought there was a chance.  I saw his vines up your skirt and then it was like he helped himself to some fertilizer and grew a couple of feet.  If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.  I just want you to know we can find you a place to sleep without Entz.”_

 

She considered all of this.  She thought of the vids of Drax killing.  She looked at Drax who was watching her carefully _.  “I’m not afraid of your house plant.   Is spontaneous violence likely or has Ms. Green just got her knickers in a twist over something that will never happen?”_

 

_“Knickers in a twist?”_

 

_“Panties in a bunch. Whatever.  Should I be worried?”_

 

_“I don’t think so.  But he can be kind of jumpy in his sleep.”_

 

_“Oh that.  Yeah.”_

 

_“Wait, what?”_

 

_“Don’t worry about it.  So, once I’m a bit healthier, will Ms Green back off on the anti bed sharing campaign? Or is there something else going on here?”_

 

_“Honestly, I don’t know.  We all want you healthy but I think it’s more complicated than that.  They were all talking about smells and stuff.  I don’t really get some of it myself.”_

 

_“Do I have to decide right now?  With everyone staring at me?”_

 

_“No but fairly soon.  In the next hour or so.”_

 

“OK.  I understand.  Thank you Peter.”

 

Rocket looked anxious. “Well, what does she want?”

 

“Sometime to think about it.”

 

Both Rocket and Drax groaned in frustration. 

 

Amelia put her elbows on the table and her head in her hands.  Then moved the hands to the back of her neck and started rubbing small circles. 

 

Drax asked, "touch?"

 

"Yes please."

 

He went and stood behind her and rubbed her neck and shoulders. She sighed and leaned back into his hands. 

 

" _I don’t want to take Ms Green’s room from her, but if she isn’t using it, I would be happy to have some space to myself sometimes.  I also don’t want to piss off Fluffy if he really wants the company.  But last night, I felt like a problem not a guest.  I’m surprised he is asking me back. "_

 

" _I'm surprised he's asking you back.  He's about the least friendly of all of us and we don't play well with others.  He also said he thinks you need to eat in the middle of the night."_

 

_"Yeah.  He fed me jerky or something last night. It was nice."_

 

 _"Well fuck me!  Rocket never shares food._ "

 

"What about me?"

 

"She said it was nice of you to feed her last night.  She also says she would be happy to sleep alone if we aren't going to get angry about it."

 

Everyone tensed. Peter looked at Gamora. "You keep saying it has to be her decision, time to put your money where your mouth is."  He looked at Drax and could see the question coming. "Which means it is time to follow through on what you have been saying."

 

Drax closed his mouth. 

 

In the end, Amelia took the top bunk in Gamora’s room and was warned that, while Gamora my start out the night in Peter’s room, she generally wandered back to her own bed sometime in the night.

 

Rocket had a bit of a sulk, but since it was in his own room, no one commented.

 

She made the bed.  Had a snack, which was new. Drax told her, via Peter, that he expected her to eat whenever she was hungry.  No more waiting for someone to offer her food.  She replied that she didn’t really notice hunger anymore and that she was happy for people to remind her to eat.

 

This earned her three sympathetic gazes.  They were sympathetic not pitying.  Their faces weren’t so alien that she couldn’t tell the difference.

 

Feeling warm and safe she tucked in for the night.  Leaving the light barely on to defend from the total darkness of space.

 

…

 

Hands. 

Touching her. 

Hands touching her everywhere. 

Pain. 

So much pain. 

Hands crushing her.

Hitting her.

Screaming. 

People screaming. 

Her screaming.

 

Her screaming.

 

And hands holding her down.  Gamora’s hands holding her down.

 

What?

 

Gamora telling her she was safe.

 

Disorientation.

 

Understanding.

 

She flung her self at Gamora and sobbed into the woman’s shoulder.  Gamora lifted her out of the top bunk like she weighed nothing.  She was carried out to the common area and cuddled on the couch. Rocket brought her blankets.

 

She concentrated on her breathing and when the shaking stopped, she stood up wrapped her blankets around her shoulders and went to get some water.  She dug around in the chill chest and found…  She didn’t even know what it was.  A tub of something with the texture of smooth peanut butter but a flavor that was part hummas, part coconut and part red curry.  She pulled out a spoon and scooped some straight out of the jar.

 

Gamora came over and started rubbing her back.

 

Amelia had a second spoonful.

 

Gamora kissed her shoulder.  

 

Amelia made eye contact for a moment and considered the look on her face.  Then she took a drink from her glass of water and looked at Rocket on the couch before turning back to Gamora.

 

“Gamora want sex?”

 

Even in the dim light, the woman’s pupils managed to widen further.  “Yes,” she answered simply.

 

Amelia turned to Rocket.  “Rocket want sex?”

 

He sighed and hung his head.  “No,” he said

 

“Thank you.” He added and started back to his room.

 

Amelia took another spoonful of the not peanut butter before putting away the jar. Moving slowing she stoked Gamora’s cheek.  Then nodded her head to Peter’s room.  Taking breath around the spoon Amelia said, “Sometimes Gamora like to watch.  Now, I want sleep.”

 

Then she followed Rocket to his room.

 

“I sleep here?  Please?”

 

“Sure,” he said.  She didn’t move from the doorway.  “Yes,” he said.

 

She pulled down his top bunk and scrambled in.  She took a moment to arrange her blankets and lay on her side watching him sorting out his nest at Groot’s feet.

 

“I sleep. Rocket sleep….  You sleep on floor?”

 

He looked at her.

 

She rolled over so he could see her back.  “I don’t touch you.”

 

In the morning, Drax once again found his friend draped across his girl’s back.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to feed and water the muse. She really appreciates the love.


	17. The Shopping List

The landing is horrible.  She cried on Drax’s shoulder on the way down.  They are all heading off ship to go get…  Something… to take to Xandar.  She doesn’t understand.   They are leaving her on the ship, alone.  They are not locking her in Drax’s room this time.

 

They are laughing and talking on their way down the cargo ramp.  Drax turns to look at her.  He gives her a smile and a small wave.   It looks completely out of sync with his fierce exterior.

 

“ _Do you want us to bring you anything?_ ” It’s Peter who is asking, but she has lost track if he is asking for anyone else.

 

“ _Oh, sure!”_ She snarks.  “ _I’d like my iPod, a cast iron frying pan and something to knit, please._ ”  She laughs, “ _It’s fine.  I don’t even know what to ask for_.”

 

“ _What’s an iPod?_ ”

 

“ _It doesn’t matter, Peter._ ”

 

“ _No, really, what’s an iPod?”_

 

 _“It’s a music player made by Apple.  They made computers when you were small.  An iPod is about the size of a deck of cards, has a head phone jack like your Walkman, and holds about 10,000 songs.  I can’t imaging you can walk into the local store and pick one up.  It was a joke_.”

 

“ _Ok, if you are sure.”_

 

_“I’ll see you later.  Be safe.”_

 

They were back for lunch.  Drax brought her something that was surprisingly like a cast iron frying pan.  

 

When they left to go back to hunting … whatever it was they were after, Amelia cleared the table.  She washed the dishes and put them away.  Then started humming to herself as she washed the pan Drax had found for her.

 

What was that smell?

 

Someone grabbed her shoulders.

 

She hit them as hard as she could with the pan and bolted for Rocket’s room, slamming and locking the door.  

 

Someone was trying to open the door.

 

She started to cry.

 

She found Rocket’s gun.

 

She scootched back so that her back was against Groot’s trunk.  “Please wake up!”

 

He didn’t move.

She took a deep breath and concentrated on not panicking.

 

There was banging outside the door.

 

She raised the gun and aimed carefully at what would be head height for someone opening the door.

 

She started singing the stalker song.

 

“ _Listen as the wind blows, from across the great divide…._ ”

 

The banging stopped.

 

“… _And I would be the one to hold you down.  Kiss you so hard_ …”

 

The screaming started.

 

“… _into this night I wander_ …”

 

The screaming stopped.

 

“… _and I won’t be denied_ …”

 

The door opened.  She fired.

 

The electro blast sailed over Rocket’s head and earthed itself in the deck as he flattened himself to the wall.

 

“Holy fuckin shit!”

 

“Amelia!  Is that you?”

 

“Did they hurt you?”

 

“Fucking..  Drax!  Wait! She’s armed!”

 

She put down the gun.  “Not hurt.  Scared.  Very scared.”  

 

Two cautious heads peeked around the doorframe.

Drax crouched down and crept towards her.  He pushed the gun away and clutched her to his chest.

 

Peter peeked in the room.  “ _Everyone OK in here?_ ”

 

“ _Either someone broke into the ship or I just bashed one of your friends with a frying pan._ ”

 

“ _Someone tried to steal the ship, but they set off the alarm as soon as they opened the door.  We hadn’t made it very far and your boyfriend has a bit of a protective streak.  You will want to stay in here until we finish mopping up the blood and disposing of the bodies_.”

 

There were six dead.   Well, four right away dead and two eventually.  They called the cops.  She wasn’t expecting that.

 

The responding officers gave Drax and Gamora a wide berth but were very pleased to meet Peter. She wasn't expecting that at all.  They were also very respectful when they questioned people. Once again, this did not match her past experiences. 

 

Of the six would be thieves, one died when he tried to hot wire the ship with the wrong DNA and ran into Rocket’s aggressive antitheft system.  Drax had cut through four on his way to find her.  Three were pronounced dead on the scene.  One bled out on the way to the hospital.  The last, who was found in the kitchen, had a skull fracture.  He lasted 24 hours before he was pronounced brain dead and sent for organ harvest.

 

It turned out they were the gang of fugitives the locals had been looking for.  Once everything was sorted out, and they would have wait a couple of days to collect the bounty.  Drax suggested they set aside the 25,000 units the skull fracture guy was worth for Amelia.

 

No one objected.

 

Drax had been so proud when he told her she had almost killed one of the miscreants.

 

She hadn’t understood.

 

But she had made it to the sink before she threw up when Peter had translated. 

 

She ended up laying on the couch with her feet on Drax’s lap while Rocket stroked her head.

 

“What were the other things she asked for?”  Rocket asked.

 

Peter had told him.

 

“Is there some kind of symbol or something on an _iPod_?”

 

Peter translated.  With some goading Amelia had drawn a Apple logo and written out iPod; then just for fun had added iPhone and StarkPhone.  She pointed out that there was no way for one to end up out here and even if they did, how would they charge it?  And even if they could, who know what music it would have on it… if any.  

 

“You acted most bravely and defended our friend Groot.” Drax declared,  “You deserve a reward!”  She needed that translated too.

 

“ _I nearly peed myself and I almost shot Rocket.  I don’t think you want to encourage that.”_

 

_“This is a fairly busy port.  There is a thriving black market here.  There isn’t anything you want?”_

 

 _“_ A bath.”  That was a word she knew.

 

Gamora sighed. “I would like a bath!  And some wine.  And a bowl of salty snacks.  And a handsome young person with small hands to rub lightly scented oil into my skin!”

 

Drax looked thoughtfully at Amelia, “there are a number of public baths in the city.  Or we could go to a hotel and have a private one.”

 

“I’m not sure someone who spent months living in a petting zoo would want to go to a public bath.”  That was Rocket.

 

As it was, they spent the rest of the day in the common room while the local law enforcement question them then cleaned up the mess.

 

Rocket made it his personal mission to teach Amelia pronouns.  Drax wanted her to learn the words:

Run

Hide 

Fire, as in fire a gun.

 

Which lead to some discussion because in Common the words for fire a gun and start something on fire do not sound the same.  And sitting on the couch encouraging people to indicate you were about to shoot someone while surrounded by law enforcement that was currently cleaning up the bodily fluids from the last four people who had died more or less where they were standing tended to make people a little jumpy.

 

Amelia wanted to learn adverbs and adjectives.  This went fairly fast with Peter actually helping.  She would flat out ask for a straight up translation of the word, then try to build her own sentence and get help with the grammar.

 

By the time they where cleared to leave the ship, Amelia’s vocabulary was significantly better, and she was mentally exhausted.

 

Peter and Gamora wanted to go out to a restaurant. Drax remembered that going out to eat together was a Terran courtship ritual.  Amelia just wanted a nap.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, if you were at a space port what would you ask for? 
> 
> Besides chocolate.


	18. The Dinner Date

Drax took Amelia back to his room, tucked her into bed and spooned up behind her. “Sleep now,” he said.

She did.

About an hour later, Gamora walked into the room turned on the lights and pulled Amelia from the bed. As she stood sleepily blinking in the dim light, Gamora deftly stripped off Amelia’s clothes, took her shoulders and pushed her into the shower.

“What are you doing?” Drax asked.

“Getting her ready to go out for dinner.” Gamora replied. “Now go use my shower and put on some clean pants. Then take the ones you are wearing, Amelia’s dress and those sheets to wash. You have gotten blood on everything.”

Drax did as he was told.

When Amelia came out of the shower, Gamora handed her one of the dresses Drax had bought her. If was deep midnight blue and sparkled with stars. It hung to her calves and was the most beautiful thing she owned. Which is why she never wore it. It was far to lovely to wear for washing dishes or mopping the floor.

“He thinks you don’t like this one.”

Amelia was surprised at that.

“Put it on.” Then Gamora handed her a pair of dark blue leggings and her boots. Then she gave Amelia a critical look. "Not bad but I'm taking you shopping tomorrow. Drax was not thinking when he bought these."

Amelia was willing to bet that she was going to come home with at least one pair of leather pants if she went shopping with Gamora, but she kept that thought to herself.

Peter looked cleaned up. Drax still wasn't wearing a shirt. Rocket was no where to be found. Amelia asked about that and was told that he was staying with the ship.

It was a nice restaurant. It seemed to be rather high end. Not the dive bar she was expecting. She was surprised that she could read some of the words on the menu. Mostly things they stocked in the kitchen on the ship. Still, she didn't feel confident ordering on her own.

She asked Drax for help. When the waiter came there was a brief hurried discussion as Peter vetoed one of his selections as not safe for Terrans. The food that arrived was delicious.

In the break between dinner and dessert, Peter got up and tried to get Gamora to dance. She refused. So he hit the dance floor alone. Amelia watched for a moment then laughed. She got up and stood about three feet behind him and started following his movements. No, not following, Drax realized. There was no pause to see what came next and her movements where more smooth and polished than Peter's.

Peter didn't notice Amelia dancing in his blind spot until he the turned and they were facing the other way. At which point he stopped and stood there staring at her along with the rest of the restaurant. She was smiling at Drax and didn't notice Peter had stopped until she backed into him. She startled and he caught her. They went back to what they were doing, kept going until the end of the song then headed back to the table.

A few people applauded. Amelia blushed.

"See, when it's just me, people don't clap, they just look at me funny," Peter explained.

"That is because she is lovely and graceful and you merely look pathetic," Drax explained helpfully.

"Thanks buddy."

"You are welcome."

"Was that the mating dance of Terra?" Gamora asked thoughtfully. Drax narrowed his eyes.

Amelia must have understood at least part of that because she started to snicker. Then she coughed a couple of times. Then she accidentally made eye contact with Peter and laughed until her eyes streamed.

About the time Peter recovered from his surprise enough to say “No!” Amelia gasped out “Yes!” Then started to laugh again at Peter’s reply.

When she could breathe again, she said, “Yes. Sometimes. We don’t understand it that way.”

Through gritted teeth, Drax asked, “Do you want to have sex with Peter now?”

She snorted, “No. But… we go to places to dance when we are looking for partners. _Clubs, bars, whatnot. Peter, explain_. I haven’t ever fucked someone just because they can do the electric slide, but I have avoided men who were too cool to dance.”

Peter translated without thinking. Then he mentally groaned and waited for Drax to make a comment about temperature.

It never came.

“I can not dance.”

“I teach you.” She patted his knee.

He caught her hand, interlaced their fingers and then brought it to his mouth for a kiss. She smiled at him.

Dessert arrived.

“We get food Rocket? To Rocket?”

They weren’t going to, but once she asked no one was willing to admit that. They settled on ordering a charcuterie platter to go.

She ate her dessert with he eyes mostly closed, concentrating on the flavours. Sticky bun incident aside, she hadn’t had anything sweet since she left Earth, and this was easily the best dessert she had ever tasted. With her eyes closed, she completely missed her table mates crossing their legs and shifting uncomfortably in their seats. She wasn't performing. She didn't moan or do anything suggestive with her tongue. She was just ... lost in the flavours and textures of her dessert. That was so much worse. They felt like voyuers, like they were intruding on a private moment.

The waiter brought Drax a polite note from one of the other tables asking if Amelia was for sale. They left abruptly after that.

“How did he even know I was a slave?” she asked Peter in the cab ride home.

“Anyone who takes your picture… well, any of our pictures, can look up information about us.”

Then she felt like and idiot because that was exactly what she had done to get information about Rocket and Drax.

“Oh.”

When they got back to the ship, Amelia bounded in side and called for Rocket in her quiet voice. There was no reply. So Drax bellowed and Rocket came out of the engine room muttering to himself. Amelia beamed.

“We give you food!”

He looked taken aback for a moment. Her smiled wavered. He looked at the nicely wrapped package in her hands. He looked at her face. She was uncertain now.

“Thank you,” he said simply. He carried it to the table with out any real enthusiasm. That changed when he opened it. “Wow, this is really nice.”  
She blew him kiss and made tea.

“That was weird. What the hell, Quill?”

“Don’t touch Rocket.” Amelia said. “No touch kiss.”

“Huh.” It was a very thoughtful sound Rocket made.

Drax asked, “Do you want sex with Rocket?”

“What!?” It came out of all four of them in surround sound unison.

“Want… I want Rocket happy. Kisses sometimes mean want sex sometimes mean want happy person.”

“See! I told you they weren’t an oral sex placeholder or whatever Gamora said!”

Amelia frowned at him. “I don’t understand.”

“Trust me, you don’t want too.”

In all the distraction, Drax was the only one who noticed the look on his friend’s face when Amelia had described him as a person. He wondered how often Rocket was referred to that way. It was to his shame that his first reference to his friend had been “creepy little beast.” He thought back and realized this might be the first time Amelia had commented on his friend. She had gone straight to person. Even though for the majority of their time, Rocket had certainly not treated her as one.

Drax knew kindness when he saw it.

He needed to think about how he wanted to handle her kindness. With Groot asleep for the winter, Amelia was the only one on the ship that Rocket actually touched. No one touched him. Amelia sleeping in Rocket’s room seemed to be fulfilling a need that he couldn’t or wouldn’t talk about.

Drax wanted Amelia in his bed. He wanted sex. He also understood that he would wait for her to offer it to him again. In the meantime. It was a big bed and his friend was small.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	19. Kindness - Explicit

When she finished washing up for the night and came out of his bathroom, Drax was sitting on his bed watching her.

 

She stopped and looked at him

“I like touching you.” He said, “I like kissing you.  I am ….  scary.  I understand if you don’t want to touch me.  But if you ever do, please know that I want you.”

 

She didn’t say anything.  For what seemed like a long time, she didn’t say anything.  Then she did.

 

“I hit man today.  He not … He don’t get up.  I don’t hit people.  I don’t… “  She stopped.  “Bad sleep now.  He,”  she waved her arms looking for the word.  “He touch, not ask.  He scary.  Drax, you ask then touch.  I say stop, you stop.  Not too scary.”

 

He stood up.  He was easily a foot taller than her.   

 

“Little scary,” she said, “and nice.”

 

“Can I kiss you now?” He asked.

 

She looked up and him, her breath caught in her throat.  She nodded.

 

He didn’t grab her.  He didn’t even touch her.  He just leaned down and kissed her as gently as he could. Closing his eyes and focusing on her lips the way she had focused on dessert, he ignored everything but the feel of her mouth on his. 

 

When he stopped to breathe, she stepped up close and pressed her face to his chest.  "I want you. I am afraid to sleep."

 

Damn. He wished she had stopped after the first sentence.  

 

"I don't want you to be afraid."  Drax looked at Amelia. 

 

She thought about this a bit.  Between the adrenaline of the day, the absolute gentleness he had shown her afterward, the nice meal and the glass of wine, she really wanted to, well, that was the problem.  Her knowledge of Common didn't extend to "fuck me to oblivion."  Plus, she wasn't certain he would understand the metaphor in that statement.

 

"Sit please."

 

He did.

 

She kissed him.  Touching Drax was like worshipping a statue. All chiseled muscles with his markings literally carved into his skin.  There was some give but there was no soft on the man. 

 

Except for the way he touched her.  His looks, his touch, his licks and kisses were all incredibly gentle.  She wondered how much self control it took for him to be that careful. He ran his hand up her thigh and danced his fingers over her folds.   

 

"Please!" His voice was rough and she was surprised by his plea. 

 

She nodded.  His fingers slid into her.  They both groaned.  She could feel his fingers trying to work her open.  She tensed a little.

 

"I want top."

 

He looked at her thoughtfully, then nodded removing his fingers.

 

She whimpered at the loss.

 

His hands went to her ass and he lifted her so that her legs went around his waist, the he carried her to the wall and set her down on her feet.  He knelt in front of her and lifted one of her legs over his shoulder, then lifted her so that she had one leg over each shoulder.  He angled her hips and brought his mouth to her clit.

 

That wasn’t what she had meant.  She hadn’t even know that was an option.  She wasn’t going to complain.

 

He held her there, licking her. Enjoying how her flavour and texture changed as she became more and more desperate for him.

 

She came hard, body arching forward, both hands on his face holding him against her.

 

He lowered her to the floor.  She clung to him panting for a moment.  Once she could think again, she said, “bed” and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.  He carried her back to the back and and lay her downing, dropping to he knees and bending his mouth to between her legs once more.

 

She whimpered a little and pulled him up beside her.  “Lay down, please.” She said.

 

He watched her for a moment, then did what she requested.  She straddled him and began to lower herself on to his cock.  “Don’t pull.  Please.”

 

He obediently let go of her hips and grabbed a double handful of the sheets.

 

She chewed her lip a little.  “You are too small,” he said.  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

 

She ignored him and slid a little further down.  He was big, but she was relaxed and the stretch wasn’t painful.  His ridges however were not where she wanted them.  She considered this for a moment, then pulled off.

 

“Sit up.” She said, waving toward the wall.  He did, sliding back so his back as to the wall.  She turned so that her back was to him, then tried again.  This way the ridges on the underside of his cock dragged along her g-spot and she slid on to him.

 

The sound she made was half groan half sigh.

 

She gave herself a moment to adjust then gave and experimental bounce.  They both groaned.

 

“You good?” She asked.

 

“Yes.  Do you need to stop?”  

 

“No!”

 

He laughed a little, “I want you to move.”

 

When she did, a wave of orgasm hit her almost immediately.  She had always been a big fan of textured condoms, but this was so, SO much better.  She tried to concentrated on rocking on his lap, but the next wave was only a couple more thrusts away.  She tried to concentrate and keep moving, the sensations where amazing.  Fuck, if Lelo could replicate this, they would corner the market.

 

“Soon, please!” she gasped.

 

He reached around her and began dragging his fingers over the base of his dick that was still exposed, too long for her to take.  This put his wrist right against her clit and she ground against it, shivering.

 

He came with a moan and there was a brief burst of pain and his foreskin retracted and flared.  It only took a moment for her body to adjust, but it was unexpected.  He kept fingering her clit and when she came again, she went limp.  He caught her as gravity took over and she sagged down further on his cock.  As he bumped against her cervix, something swirled inside her and everything went white as her climax overtook her completely.

 

…

 

She woke to the feeling of Drax licking the inside of her thigh.  She sat up a little to see what he was doing and he made a happy sound as she cream pied a little. He grinned licked that up too.

 

She was a bit puzzled by that.

 

“Don’t have to…”

 

He froze, his face falling.  He swallowed and when he spoke his voice was carefully neutral.  “Stop?”

 

She considered, then she asked, “Why this?”

 

“Mine!” It was almost a growl and stated ownership in a fierce way that she had never felt from him before.  Then he took a deep breath and she watched as he fought for control before adding, “please?”

 

She nodded. 

 

He watched her carefully before going back to… well, the only way she could think to describe it was cleaning her.  When he was finished, he said “stay here.  Please.”  It had taken him a moment to add the please.  Then he watched her until she nodded in understanding.

 

He went to the kitchen where she could hear Peter yelling about pants.  When he returned, he was brought water and fruit.  He sat next to her on the bed and began feeding her pieces of fruit.  "Sleep here tonight."  It was both a command and a request.  

 

She stretched up and kissed his lips.  Then smiled and nodded.  

 

After a moment she sat up and went to brush her teeth.  While she was in the bathroom, Drax knocked and handed her pjs when she answered.   That was odd, but she put them on anyway. 

 

Drax found Rocket in the common room drinking beer with Peter, who once again shouted,"Pants!"

 

Drax ignored him.  "I want Amelia to sleep in my bed tonight."

 

Rocket nodded, his nose twitching. 

 

"Would you sleep in my bed as well?"

 

Rocket gaped at him. 

 

“I think she would sleep better with you guarding her back. I would sleep better guarding you both. Would you do this as a favour to me?  I will not touch you nor will I expect you to touch me."

 

"You gonna be touching her?"

 

"I would like to hold her, yes."

 

"What I wanna know is, am I going to be sitting in the corner while you fuck."

 

"No. I believe we are finished for the evening."

 

Neither Gamora nor Peter said anything, but they shared a look.

 

Rocket considered this.  "Fine. As a favour.  But you leave the knives under the bed."

 

Amelia was surprised when the door opened and Drax and Rocket both came in.  Drax pointed to the bed. "Sleep now." Then he turned down the lights. 

 

She crawled in under the covers.  Rocket curled up behind her.  "Don't touch me."  She smiled in the dark.

 

A moment later, after washing up, Drax climbed in on the out side and adjusted her so she was using his arm as a pillow.  Rocket pushed up her shirt and snuggled up to her skin.  Feeling warm and loved she let sleep claim her.

 


	20. Transportation of Small Mammals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter. This and chapter 20 started out as one united chapter, but it got too complicated.

The next morning it was Drax who woke first. He got up, washed and dressed in the dim light then went to make breakfast. 

 

When Peter got up, Drax glared at him for a moment. "It is a sign of trust that I will allow myself to be unarmed around you. It is disrespectful for you to shout 'pants' as thought you believe I did not know I wasn't wearing any."

 

Peter stopped and considered this. "I am sorry I offended you. Culturally, public nudity is frowned on ... is taboo on Terra."

 

"As it is on my planet.  Nudity is for at home with one's family.  For people whom we trust not to attack."  Drax hesitated and thought of Groot bringing Amelia to his room,  the first night he had left her to sleep on the couch.  She had made a point of not looking at him.  He once again regretted bringing her back to the ship before providing her with clothes. He thought about what it must have been like to be naked among strangers who wanted to paint her skin with pain. He was ashamed. 

 

Gamora walked in and announced she would take Amelia to buy better clothes that morning.

 

Drax bristled a bit at that. "What is wrong with the clothes I bought her?" he demanded. 

 

"They are beautiful," Gamora replied. "That is what's wrong with them. She needs some more practical clothing that will still fit once she bulks up from training.  And if we are going to be leaving her unattended she is going to need some training.  We can't count on her getting lucky twice.”

 

Rocket staggered into the kitchen next.  

 

“Do I want to ask about that?” questioned Peter.

 

“You do not.” stated Drax firmly.

 

Amelia came out and made cheese toasts for everyone except Rocket, who had his usual three eggs.  

 

He said he wanted to go to the market for some scrap electronics.  Drax said he was looking for a weapons merchant there as well.  Gamora offered to take Amelia shopping and let them get on with it, but Drax insisted she go with him first.  

 

“I am going to buy her a knife,” he announced.

 

Gamora rolled her eyes but nodded.

 

And so it was, they all went out together.  There was a cab ride to the market then a hike through the stalls to the knife merchant.  Drax told Amelia to choose one and she picked out a seven inch chef’s knife with excellent balance and a matching bird’s beak pairing knife.  Drax rolled his eyes then handed her something that looked like a bowie knife in his hand and a machete in hers.  Gamora rolled her eyes and picked out a small hunting knife.

 

It fit in Amelia’s hand.  It felt comfortable using the bolster grip she was familiar with from cooking.  It was still weapon like enough to make Drax happy.

 

He wasn’t happy.

 

So,while he and Gamora where debating the pros and cons of assorted sharp edged weapons, Amelia went and sat on the curb next to Rocket.  She knew that raccoons could stand upright but they hadn’t really evolved to walk that way.  From what she had read, Rocket’s gate was due to his surgical adjustments. She thought about asking if his feet hurt, then considered her audience.

 

What she wanted to say was: if you let me carry you, you could tell me what things are.  Plus your legs are short so you are effectively walking six times as far as Drax

 

What she had the words for was: “Teach me names, please.”

 

“Can’t see dick all from down here.”

 

She turned her back to him and crossed her arms behind her back.  “stand here.”  She uncrossed her arms and patted her shoulders, “hold here.  Teach me names and things.  Please, Rocket.”

 

She pressed her lips together but kept her expression serene as he launched into a profanity ridden tirade that included the phrases “it’s not cool to get help!” and “I know how to walk!”  

 

When he ran down, she gave him a moment to catch his breath, then said “I don’t understand words.  Rocket not help me learn?”

 

He glared at her.  “Fine.”

 

She burst into a warm smile and said “Thank you much, Rocket!”

 

He climbed on her back and joined in the debate with Drax and Gamora.  Amelia couldn’t follow it at all, so she let her gaze wander to the other stalls.  She made eye contact with Peter who was grinning at her.  She solemnly winked at him.

 

The next stop was the leather worker.  Gamora picked out some pants, a weapons belt and a cross between a vest and an over bust corset complete with steel boning.  After a brief but intense debate where Gamora wanted black and Drax wanted blue, they settled on one of each plus a satchel in the cognac brown that Amelia was admiring.  The leather smith added cargo loops at the waist and epaulet’s to the shoulders to provide proper hand and foot holds for Rocket.

 

They stopped at a street food vender for lunch, on a stick.  She was pretty sure it was some kind of insect, but there was also cooked fruit on a stick, cooked mushrooms on a stick something that did a credible impression of lamb kabob.

 

No one said anything as Rocket climbed back on Amelia’s back after lunch.

 

It took some wandering but they found the specific used electronic place that Rocket was looking for.  Drax, Amelia, Peter and Gamora all sat on the curb while Rocket and the Vendor dug through boxes and boxes of merchandise and Rocket made snarky commentary about the inventory all being crap.

 

“It’s supposed to be crap!  This is all scrap and surplus!  What do you expect?”

 

It turned out Rocket expected to spend almost two hours looking at every item the vendor had while his friends tried to be patient.

 

In the end, Rocket left with a reasonably large box of parts.  Drax carried that back to the ship while Rocket tried out the new foot holds on Amelia's clothing.


	21. Communal Bathing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of just a throw away chapter. I wrote it while I was working on error correction for Chapter 19.
> 
> Enjoy

When they got back to the ship,  Rocket had Drax take the box of parts to his work desk in the engine room.  Amelia hung up her new clothes and went to the kitchen for water. Groot came out of the room he shared with Rocket. He was now about four feet tall. 

 

"Hey buddy!" said Peter, "Rocket will be back in a minute. He be happy to see you!"

 

"I am Groot"

 

"That's what they tell me," Peter said. 

 

Amelia blushed very red and coughed a little.

 

“ _What did he say?_ ” Peter asked.

 

“ _Nothing_.”

 

Rocket came into the kitchen, saw Groot and dropped to all fours to sprint across to him.  “You’re awake!  Thank gods!  I had to deal with these idiots alone for days!”

 

“Gee, thanks Rocket,” Peter snarked.

 

“I don’t understand why you are saying thank you.  That was quite rude.”

 

“I’ll make it up to you.  I booked us a private room at one of the nicer spas in the city.  Where’s Gamora?  She wanted a bath too, but we need to leave now.”

 

“I… am… Groot?”

 

“Let that one drop buddy.  I can fill you in later.”

 

Peter started, “Now I REALLY wa-“

 

“No.”  Rocket’s tone brooked no negotiation.

 

“Interesting…” Peter looked thoughtful, but didn’t say anything else.

 

Back out of the ship, the loaded into a much nicer cab and headed away from the markets and into the city. 

 

When they got to the spa, people wanted their pictures taken with Star Lord and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

 

“ _Wait, are you guys a band or something?”_

 

 _“Nope.  We stopped a …”_ Peter didn’t know the english words for genocidial maniac, _“guy from killing a whole planet worth of people.”_

 

_“Huh.  How?”_

 

_“Magic.”_

 

_“Right.”_

 

_“No, really.”_

 

_“Uh-huh, fine be like that.”_

 

The Spa was really nice.  Once huge sunken bathtub in the middle of a clean white tiled room.  Two massage beds off to one side, several comfortable looking recliners.  Four attendants standing by.

 

Two of them started dry brushing Drax, whose skin didn’t brush off like powder, but rather loosened and pulled off in long strips like a snake.  Gamora stripped and headed for one of the massage tables.  Peter snagged the last attendant for a pedicure.

 

Amelia asked Peter if she needed a bathing suit for the hot tub.  He told her to just strip down and dive in.

 

She didn’t dive, but she climbed in, lay back and just floated.  Drax hurried over to the edge of the pool.

 

“How are you doing that?”

 

“What?”

 

Peter had to explain, in two languages, that Terrans had enough buoyancy to float and that Drax’s people did not.

 

Groot sat on the edge of the pool with his feet in the water.  He grinned.

 

When Gamora finished her massage, Amelia wandered over to the other table.  The attendant managed to get his hands on her shoulders, before Drax pulled him away and took over.  He was too gentle and Amelia told him.  Eventually, he did quite a good job.  It just took a while for him to get the pressure right.

 

Gamora watched with interest, then talked him into letting a professional do Amelia’s pedicure.

 

They were just talking about ordering food when the message came.  Dey was looking for them.  They were required on Xandar as soon as possible.  Terra had finally answered his attempts at contact.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK. In an upcoming Chapter, Drax goes hunting and Amelia spends a couple of weeks training with Nova Corp. How much detail do you want to read about that? I have her whole day planned, but it isn't exactly Guardians of the Galaxy. She does get some adventure and some character development, but it could just happen off screen, so to speak.


	22. Transit

Dey didn’t answer when they tried to return his call and the port master had a departure time 20 minutes from their return to the ship.  There was a brief glaring competition between Drax and Groot over who would sit next to Amelia during take off.  It was solved when she told Peter she would prefer to be sedated if that was an option.  Drax stormed off to the cock pit.

 

Groot was slightly bigger again when the vines retracted.  Rocket said it was likely the water from the bath and the CO2 from her lungs.

 

She was still groggy when they finally got out of the local system.  They had the packed lunch the spa had sent.  Amelia tried to skip it, saying her stomach wasn’t up to it yet.  Drax said they could wait.  They put a vid on.  She ended up slowly picking at her food and was done about the time everyone else started cleaning up for bed.

 

She brushed her teeth and climbed into bed.  He spooned her up, held her tight and growled, “Mine.”

 

Amelia nodded off fairly quickly.  Drax did not.  He didn’t like he idea of Terra getting back to Dey with news that would require their immediate return to Xandar.  The mostly cause would be that there was an error with her paperwork and she would either be given citizenship, or worse, sent back to Terra.

 

He desired neither.  Well, if she were a citizen who would travel with them, that would be fine.  But once she was recognized, he wasn't certain she would choose that.  Perhaps, she would still allow him to visit.

 

If of the other hand she was sent back to Terra…. well, after the war with the Jotun, and that thing with the Kree, Asgard took a dim view on interstellar cultures visiting Terra.  Plus, Terra was way out in the middle of nowhere.  It wasn’t like he would be able to pop in regularly to check that she was eating and, you know, not in jail.  She had been exiled for something, right?  Who was he to judge, he had killed many.

 

The next two days went by in a blur of exhaustion for Amelia.  Gamora trained her during the morning.  She had lunch.  She spent her afternoons in bed with Drax.  He was extra clingy, not that she was complaining at all. Then yoga for an hour or so before supper.  Do the dishes, watch a vid, go to bed. Repeat.  She didn’t see Rocket or Groot other than at meals.

 

They were just entering the Xandarian system when Rocket pulled her aside.  He handed her a box.  “I’m still not sure what the fuck _knitting_ is.”

 

When she opened the box it was … not an iPhone.  It had clearly been cobbled together out of parts of several iPhones or iPods.  When she turned it on, and older version of iOS was installed but it only had Music, Videos, Messages, and Notes.  There wasn’t even a Settings icon.

 

She touched music. She touched Library.  She almost dropped it.  She had 8,347,912 songs.  She checked videos.  As near as she could tell she had every block buster movie for the last five years.

 

“How?”

The reply was technobabble that she did not understand.

 

“Thank you so much!”  She scooped him up in a hug.  Then she remembered and set him down and apologized.

 

He seemed embarrassed but pleased. “You are going to have to recharge it,” he warned. “Terran batteries are crap.  I did my best with this one, but it won’t hold charge more than a couple of standard years.”  He handed her a homemade set of head phones that looked like a knock off version of Peter’s.

 

“What is it?”  

 

“ _Music!_ ”

 

“What?  Really?”

 

“Yes!”  She handed it to him.  He plugged it into the ships stereo.  

 

_“I heat up, I can't cool down_

_You got me spinning…”_

 

“Wow! This is amazing Rocket!”

 

“It ain’t for you!  It’s for Amelia to remember me by.”

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“Well, they ain’t too fond of slaves on Xandar.  They’ll make you a citizen same day we get there, I’d bet.”

 

She looked at Drax, “I don’t understand.”

 

“… _I wanna reach out and grab ya…_ ”

 

“Ya wanna get this one, Quill?” Rocket said.

 

“Really not.”

 

Drax chimed in, “We don’t know anything yet.  We can discuss this when we find out what they have planned.”

 

“Oh, yeah.  ‘Cause just springing it on her that she now works for the government and will never see us again with warning or anything sounds like a great idea.”

 

“I’m glad you agree.”

 

“What? That was sarcasm you daft idiot.”

 

“Please tell me what is going on!”

 

They all stopped and looked at her.

 

“I going away?”

 

Drax turned and left.

 

She watched him leave, whimpered a little, remembered the clinical definition of Stockholm Syndrome, carefully considered if it applied in her particular case, and thought ”screw it.”  She turned off the stereo.  “ _Peter Starlord Quill, you will tell me what is going on right now, or I will hide all the coffee where you will never find it_.”

 

“ _We got called to_ Xandar _by the guy we had trying to get information about you.  They don’t let people own people there.  The iPop thing is for you to remember Rocket if you want to stay there and be a person instead of travelling as property of Drax_.”

 

“Oh.”  And suddenly she understood clingy Drax.  He was getting ready for her to leave.

 

She looked at Rocket.

 

“Thank you Rocket.”

 

‘You’re welcome.”

 

“ _If I am a person on Xandar, do I go back to being a slave as soon as I leave?   Does that mean I’m stuck there forever?  I don’t really speak the language yet.  How do I get a job or a place to stay?_ ”

 

“ _The government finds you a job and an place to stay and should help you learn the language.  Once you are a citizen, other planets are supposed to recognize that, but the system isn’t perfect_.”

 

_“Do you want me to leave?”_

 

_“If you leave the cooking goes to shit and I have at least two really pissed off team mates.  I would love you to stay, but we aren’t exactly the safest place to be.  The big guy used to be a problem.  No self preservation. One time he got drunk and called one the bad guys who were chasing us and told them where we were.  I’m still not sure he cares if he lives or dies but he cares if you do. When you leave our lives will get worse, but you get to be a person.”_

 

_“Do I have the option of staying?”_

 

_“I would like you to, but the pay isn’t great and the team mates are a bunch or surly losers.  Xandar will not want you to go with us.”_

 

_“Is this a for sure thing?”_

 

_“No.  But Xandar will use any …trick..  they can to …  free slaves.  It’s more complicated than that, but I don’t have enough words in English to explain.”_

 

_“I need to think about this.  How long until we get to Xandar?”_

 

 _“Umm…. couple hours to the ..outside of the planet two more ’til we land.  I don’t know what time we are due at_ Nova Corp _… the headquarters.”_

 

 _“I think I need to spend some time with_ Groot _.”_

 

Rocket who had been waiting patiently through this whole exchanged, reached up and took her hand.  “Come on,” he said.

 

Amelia spend the rest of the trip sitting crossed legged on the floor having a conversation with Groot.   Rocket watched from the side of the room.

 

When Peter came to announce decent for landing, he paused and asked Rocket how it was going.

 

“I got no idea.  I can’t understand what she says and his half don't make no sense either.”

 

“Time to strap in!  We prep for touch down in five minutes!”

 

Amelia snagged Drax on his way to the cock pit.  “Sit with me?”

 

He nodded but didn’t say anything as he helped her on with the seat belts.

 

It was the best landing she had been awake to experience, but she still held tight to Drax’s hand the whole.  

 

Her hand was so small in his.  He didn't want her to let go. If she left... he would let her go. It might break him to lose his mate again but he was determined to let her go if that was what she wanted. Neither of them had chosen this but at least he had some say.  As Gamora was quick to point out, Amelia hadn't picked him. 

 

Dey was waiting for them when they docked. 

 

Peter and Gamora disembarked first followed by Rocket. When Groot stepped off the ship, Dey was startled. "Look at you!  That's amazing!"

 

"I am Groot."

 

Drax gestured to Amelia to go next. She took his hand, "Together," she said. 

 

Dey loaded them into a shuttle.  "Our contact went live two days ago, right before I messaged you. This time it's a new person. The last guy, Jasper Sitwell, spoke reasonable Common. His accent was a little odd but he was perfectly understandable.  New guy only seems to speak Terran. That's where you come in, Quill."

 

Amelia's hand tightened on Drax's arm at the name. Her voice was perfectly calm when she whispered, ” _Groot, I will consider us even if you snap my neck before they hand me over to go back to Terra."_

 

She wasn’t quiet enough and Peter over heard. _”Wait! What?”_

 

 _“_ I am Groot.” he said, nodding.

 

 _"That man your cop friend just mentioned was..."_ She took a deep breath. _"I don't want to go back there."_

 

_"Ok, so we don't let them know you are here."_

 

_"Thank you."_

 

"So, how does this work?" Peter asked. 

 

"Just like a vid call."

 

"Can we set it up so Amelia is in the room but not seen over the call?"

 

"Any thing you want."

 

After a short drive into the city, they were lead through Nova Corp head office and into a conference room. Peter was seated at the head of the table with the camera pointed at him. The rest of them were seated behind the camera. Amelia was given a tablet and stylus to write notes to Peter. 

 

"Let's get this over with," he said. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may need to take a break. Or get some reader feed back. This story is turning out a bit more porn-y than I would like. I'm currently writing Chapter 29. My outline says that Drax is supposed to be going to war. Yet somehow, I have written and deleted a whole chapter about Amelia training with Nova Corp and exactly what kind of bureaucracy she needed to get through in order for that to happen. Then she and Drax had phone sex.
> 
> The problem is that training thing is supposed to be a couple of vague paragraphs and the phone sex, well, that wasn't in my outline at all. I had originally budgeted 50 chapters, 10 for character development, the 40 for plot. Now some of my chapters are short, but I am just getting to what I thought was going to be THE major plot point 23 chapters in. I'm ok letting this thing run long, but Amelia was supposed to be a throw away character. She serves a specific plot purpose.
> 
> But now I'm having a hard time making her exit stage left so the team get get on with the ass kicking I had originally planned for this fic. That's where the reader feed back come in. Do you feel like the Guardians are being left out in this story? How emotionally invested in Amelia do you want them to be?


	23. The Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AKA Peter vs Phil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Referenced termination of pregnancy

" _The director SHEILD is a nasty piece of work named Alexander Pierce. I only met him once as they were loading us onto the ship that was to take us off Earth.  He seemed to have an arrangement with the man I thought was my husband.  Pierce wasn't at all bothered by me turning up beaten bloody.  Jasper Sitwell was the linguist.  He translated between Pierce and the Captain of the ship.  I still have family back home. Pierce threatened them if anyone found out who I am."_

 

They were waiting for the FTL call to connect.  Earth only had one official FTL messaging console that they had salvaged off the ship that crashed in Roswell.  Dey commented on it being an unreliable piece of junk.

 

When the connection finally went through a young man with short curly hair answered.  “ _Hello?  Oh.  You’re new.  We haven’t gotten a translator program running yet, but if you start…_ ”

 

“ _It’s OK.  I speak English.”_

 

A woman with a brown pony tail peered at the screen.  “ _That’s new.  How is it that you speak English?_ ”

 

“ _It’s a long story.  Jasper Shitwell please._ ”

 

The man covered his mouth with his hand and giggled for a moment.  The woman looked sharply at him.  He coughed and said, “ _I’ll just go get Coulson then, shall I?_ ”

 

 _“Who’s Coulson?”_ Peter asked _._

 

_“He’s the director of SHIELD.  I’m Jemma Simmons.  And your name is?”_

 

_“People call me Starlord.”_

 

 _“Really.”_ She looked a bit sceptical.

 

_“So is this a big game of telephone tag or is there something we can do you for?”_

 

_“Just wait for the Director Coulson to get here and he can explain.”_

 

_“Director Coulson?  What happened to Jasper?”_

 

_“He’s…. no longer with us.”_

 

_“As in dead or just fired?”_

 

_“A bit of both, really.”_

 

Peter looked at Amelia who noticeably relaxed.

 

“ _Huh.  From what I hear, it couldn’t have happened to a better person.”_

 

_“Yes, well.  Here is Director Coulson.”_

 

_“Hello.  Mr….  Is there something else I can call you besides Starlord?  It has some negative cultural connotation since New York.”_

 

_“What?”_

 

Amelia’s message popped up on the side of the projection with a note about an attempted alien invasion a few years ago.

 

“ _Oh_.”  Peter said, “ _Fine call me Quill._ ”

 

“ _Well, Mr Quill, we have had a bit of local politics going on here for the last year or so and we had …. misplaced this communicator until last week.  When we found it, there are a number of missed messages in languages we can’t understand and a picture of a woman.  When we looked into the woman, it would appear she died in a car crash with her husband almost eighteen months ago.  However, further investigation revealed she is may have left earth with her husband at that time._ ”

 

_“Ah.  Thank you for the information.”_

 

_“Have they turned up as a problem for local authorities on your end?”_

 

_“Not that I’m aware of.  Should they?”_

 

_“There is a chance they may have taken….  a problematic piece of software with them when they left.”_

 

Peter and Coulson stared at each other through the vid link in a game of mental “who’s going to crack and ask first” chicken.  Peter had spent most of his life being stared down by Ravagers, where as Coulson had practiced on Fury.

 

“ _What kind of software?_ ”

 

_“It is non-terrestrial in origin.  It was recovered, eventually, after the Battle of New York.  A copy was made that caused self awareness in an android who then tried to bring about the extinction of all life on earth.”_

 

_“Whoa!  You have Terminators?”_

 

_“Had.  Past tense.  The original software acquired a synthetic humanoid and helped us defeat them.  How is it you are familiar with the Terminator Movies?”_

 

_“Movies?  Wow, I only heard about the first one.”_

 

_“There have been a few more since then.  And a tv series.”_

 

_“So the software left earth and you are worried about an invasion of cybermen from space now?”_

 

_“Something like that.”_

 

_“What makes you think this woman has it?”_

 

_“We don’t.  We think her husband does.”_

 

_“Was that before or after the killer robots?”_

 

 _“Before.  The man,”_ Coulson pulled up a picture on the screen. _“Was going by the name David Azul.  He worked with… a local NGO that provided health care in third world countries.  Which is where he met his wife, Karen.  When Karen came in for a routine first trimester ultrasound, it was discovered the fetus was not human.  It took us a few weeks to track down her husband.  We were able to remove his disguise then they were both deported from Earth.”_

 

_Coulson brought up another picture, this time of a Kree man._

 

_“Our records show, he was given a copy of the software to take to a third party, but we aren’t aware which third party._

 

_“If you have found the woman, perhaps she can lead you to her husband.”_

 

Peter snorted _“I doubt that.  He sold her at the first slave port he got to.  What happened to the baby?”_

 

_“Excuse me?”_

 

_“You said you found her when she was pregnant.  What happened to the baby?”_

 

_“Records indicate it was deemed non-viable and her pregnancy was terminated.  What do you mean sold at a slave port?”_

 

_“Yeah. Sold her to some violent asshole.  Bunch of hospital visits.  Then she went to a petting zoo for a while. Then a little over a month or so ago, some total bastard, calls himself The Destroyer, bought her.  Nasty piece of work.  I wouldn’t want to try to take something that was his.”_

 

Peter continued, _“So, this non-viable termination, you have records showing that she agreed to that, right?”_

 

Coulson remained impassive.  The woman in the background looked upset. Amelia got out of her chair, climbed into Drax's lab and buried her face in his chest. 

 

“ _How badly do you want that software back?_ ”  Peter asked.

 

“ _We …  are concerned.”_

 

Dey had been waving at Peter for sometime now..  _“Hold please.”_ He halted the transmission, but instead of just holding the call, the console on Earth disconnected.  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for the feed back. It sounds like I'm on the right track. Or at least shouldn't expect too many objections when I split the party in a few chapters


	24. The Next Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really could just be the second half of chapter 22

“What was he saying about Azul?” Dey asked Peter.

 

“”They are looking for something and they think he has it.”

 

Dey looked thoughtful, “We know where he is.”

 

“How?” Drax asked.

 

“We put a watch on him after you asked for information about Amelia.  He’s in a mercenary camp in Cashel.”

 

Rocket perked up, “Put a bounty on him and he’ll be here by tomorrow.  That aint exactly the nice part of the system.”

 

“They need his stuff too.”

 

“I can arrange that,” said Dey.  “You can take him back to Terra if they want him.”

 

“Are you sure?“ Peter asked. “Nova Corp may want to stay out of this one?”

 

“Did he illegally export an item from Terra?”

 

“Something like that.”

 

“Did the Terran government authorize him to sell one of their citizens?”

 

Everyone tensed waiting for Peter’s answer.  “I doubt it, but I didn’t specifically ask that.”

 

“Get them back on the line and then get a specific answer.  If we can arrest him for trafficking, we would be happy to hand him back to Terra.  According to the tabloids, Prince Thor of Asgard is dating a Terran and it would be helpful to be in their good books.”

 

“ _Karen, how much of that did you get_?”

 

“ _I think I’ll stick with Amelia if it is all the same to you.  If he has the software it was giving to him by someone in power at SHEILD.  Not this guy.  I don’t know who he is.  This feels like a trap._ ”

 

“ _Hmm…  Good point._ ”  Peter tried to reconnect with Earth.

 

“ _Mr. Quill.”_

 

_“Director Coulson, that is a very interesting story you are telling, but do you have anyone who can collaborate it for you?  I have no idea who you are or if you are trustworthy.”_

 

_“Do you have a way to contact Asgard?"_

 

Peter looked at Dey who should at least recognize the word Asgard.  Dey nodded.

 

_“Of course.  Do you?”_

 

Coulson ignored that.  _“Lady Sif will speak for me.”_

 

_“So how did this guy get the software in the first place?”_

 

Coulson looked slightly embarrassed.  “ _We believe my predecessor gave it to him._ ”  He paused reading Peter’s face.  “ _You already knew that._ ”

 

_“I wondered.  Right now the $128,000 question is did your predecessor give Azul permission to sell his wife.”_

 

Coulson took his time answering.  “ _I don’t know.  If he did it wouldn’t have been legal permission, but ….  there were.. some problems with the ethicacy of some of his decisions.”_

 

“ _Is he no longer with you as well?_ ”

 

“ _He was terminated with extreme prejudice, yes._ ”

 

Amelia snorted in almost perfect synchronization with the person in the background on Coulson’s end.

 

_“If there is a chance for the woman to be returned to Earth, with out any additional harm befalling her, we would like that as well.”_

 

_“Why?”_

 

_“She should not have been deported in the first place.  Earth does not have a policy of banishing its inhabitants.”_

 

_“I’ll see what I can do, but you are already spending money you don’t have to try to track down the software.  Which is more important to you?”_

 

Coulson was not happy with that question.   " _I can't risk the lives of seven billion people to rescue one woman. At the same time,  she should not be in that situation."_

 

Peter looked at him thoughtfully. Then he translated the discussion to the group. 

 

"What's _knitting_?"  Rocket asked. 

 

Peter looked at him for a moment. "It's using sticks to turn string into clothes. What does that have to do with anything?"

 

"This guy is all worried about her well being, maybe he wants to send a care package or something.  Like the kind of clothes SHE likes instead of us dressing her the way we want. Or ... _knitting_... or some books or something."

 

Dey asked,  "why don't they just get Heimdal to find the thing they are looking for?"

 

Peter asked the question.

 

_"I have worked with Lady Sif before,"_ Coulson said _"but I don't have a way to contact her at this time."_

 

" _Ok. We'll find Azul for you and see if he still has the software.   How will we know if he made a copy?"_

 

_"From what I understand, he can't."_

 

_"If we can't get the woman for you, would you like to send her a message or a care package or anything?  We could do an exchange when we bring you Azul."_

 

_"I will take that under advisement.  Do you think you would be able to arrange a video call?"_

 

_"I'll see what I can do.  So, what does this thing look like?  We talking floppy disk?"_ He paused as Amelia rolled her eyes. " _Or iPop or what?"_

 

_"It's on a USB key."_

 

_"Which is?"_

 

Coulson pulled up a picture _"Something like this. It may not be this colour or shape but the end will look like this."_

 

_"Ok.  I have something to ask of you.  I want details about the locations of Jasper Sitwell, Alexander Pierce,"_ looked at the notes Amelia had made about her time with Shield, " _Agent Rumlow and Agent Rollins."_

 

_"That is a very specific list, Mr Quill."_

 

_"I have The Destroyer on the other line, he is a very specific person, Director Coulson."_

 

Coulson considered this. _"If he allows me to debrief Karen, I will provide details about those individuals."_

 

_"I'll pass that along.  He will want to know why you want to speak to her.”_

 

_“We want to know about the arrangement her husband had with my predecessor.  It was not well documented or sanctioned my the World Security Council.”_

 

_“Ok.  I’ll see what I can do and get back to you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse. It helps this newbie feel confident posting.


	25. Define Family

It turned out Lady Sif, was indeed willing to vouch for Phil, Son of Coul.  Peter had a good laugh at that.  She also had been able to provide some information about the fall of SHEILD which made Amelia happy. 

 

Rocket took Amelia back to the guest suites where they were staying.  Drax went for a quiet word with Dey.

 

“If she is give citizenship, where will she live?” Drax asked.

 

“Xandar has social housing for new citizens.  It isn’t great, but it helps them get started.”

 

“Would you allow your mate to reside there alone?”

 

Dey looked uncomfortable.  “No.”

 

“I would sponsor her for citizenship if I knew it was the best thing for her, but I have concerns that this is a very strange place for her.  I do not know if she would be able to adequately manage such a significant social and technological change.  She doesn’t speak the language much and in unable to read well enough to function effectively in Xandarian culture.”

 

Dey considered this.  “I agree, but I don’t think that taking her to some mercenary outpost to try to retrieve a weapon of mass destruction from her a-hole husband is in her best interest either.”

 

“So, what do you suggest?”

 

Dey started to say something, then stopped.  “Let me make a couple of calls and I’ll see what I can figure out.”

 

Drax found Amelia curled up in a ball on top of the bed.  Her eyes were open but she was staring at nothing.  He reached up an rubbed the fuzz on her head. It was about a centimetre long now.   She shivered. 

 

"Away from my eyes," she said. "Towards my eyes feels wrong.  I had long hair like Gamora. I don't want long hair again. Maybe longer than this."

 

"The Terran said something that hurt you."

 

"He _reminded_ talked about things that are done. Things I want to not happened. That's not the right was to say that. Please tell me the words."

 

"Things you want not to have happened or things you regret."

 

"Yes." She thought about this for a moment.  "You are leaving to get Azul?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Am I leaving to get Azul?"

 

"I want you to stay here and be safe. Dey and I are trying to find a away for you to be safe."

 

"Will you come back after Azul?  Or will I be safe and alone?"

 

"Will you want me to come back?"

 

She sat up and looked at him earnestly. "You are ....  I know you are my safety.   No..  argh! I need more words!  I know that you want me safe and work hard to make me safe. I don't know if you leave if other people want me safe like you do?   Not enough words!  I have big...thoughts and almost no words!"

 

He waited patiently. 

 

She kissed him. 

 

"You don't have to do that. I will keep you safe even if you don't. "

 

"Yes. That is why I want to.  I want you to come back to me.  You are kind.  Your people are kind and I want to be family with them.”

 

Drax hadn’t really considered the others as “His People” before.  Colleagues, sure.  Friends, well OK.  Not his people, not his family, surely family was Kamaria and Hovat.  Yet, since Amelia had joined them, they had started eating together all the time.  They went to the market together.  They watched vids together.  None of that had happened before she joined them.

 

Rocket had said that when she first got there, he hadn’t cared if she lived or died, but he did now.  

 

At first Drax had just been embarrassed that he was now a slave owner. He had planned to hand her over as soon as they got to Xandar, but now he cared about where she ended up.  He wanted her back on the ship when he returned.

 

He had killed Ronan.  Was he allowing himself to accept a new family for himself?  Did he deserve a new family after all the blood he had spilled?

 

He needed to think about that.

 

Word came fairly quickly that Nova Corp had secured the camp where Azul was staying.   They were holding the prisoners, but waiting for the Guardians of the Galaxy to come search the place for the missing thing.

 

Peter found Drax spooned up behind Amelia.  They were laying on the middle of the bed, fully dressed.  His arms wrapped and round her and their fingers were tangled together.

 

Peter felt like he was interrupting something very intimate.  He coughed.

 

They sat up and looked at him.  “Time to go Drax.  Looks like they need us to save the galaxy, again.  Amelia is going to stay with Dey and his family.”

 

Amelia perked up, “ _You are going to get Azul?  Please look to see if he has my phone.”_

 

_“I thought Rocket made you a new one.”_

 

_“Mine has pictures of my sisters on it.  Can you please find it and bring it back?”_

 

_“We’ll try.”_

 

_“No, Peter, you don’t understand.  I know he might not have it anymore, but I need you to not just keep your eyes open for it.  I need you to look really, REALLY hard to get it back for me.  Please?  It is really important and this is the only chance I have to get it back.  You have back ups of The Awesome Mix Tapes, right?  Yet if one of them went missing, how far would you go to get it back?  I don’t have any back ups.  This is the one and only chance I have to see my sisters’ faces again.  Please, try as hard as you can to get it back.”_

 

She switched languages and turned to Drax, “Azul has pictures of my family.  Please get them back.” 

 

He nodded.  “Anything else?”

 

She shrugged.  “I want to hit him, but that won’t change what has happened.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	26. Bio Chem As A Language

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Once the ship leaves, the rest of this chapter is gratuitous character building for Amelia. You could skip this and still be OK. More Guardians later.

They had reached the ship. She gave Drax a warm hug and told him to be safe. Then she did the same to Peter, Gamora and Groot. She hesitated, looking at Rocket, then dropped to her knees in front of him and said, "I won't touch you. Be safe."

 

Rocket looked at her then hugged her tight. "You be safe too.”

 

When she stood up, Drax pulled her tight to his chest and nuzzled her head.  “Eat and grow strong.  Be safe. You are loved.”  He set her gently on her feet and turned abruptly to board the ship.

 

Dey led her back into the building.  “How much Common do you understand?”

 

“Little bit.  More everyday I talk to people.”

 

“Gamora said I’m supposed to find someone to teach you to fight.  Peter said you can call Terra if you want.  Drax and Rocket both said you need to eat every few hours.  Groot told me something very important and solemn, but since it was ‘I am Groot.’ I have no idea what he wanted me to do about you.”

 

“Groot thinks I need doctor.”

 

“Whoa!  You can tell that from ‘I am Groot?’”

 

“I understand Groot, but not you saying Groot.  He worries my….  inside not working good.”

 

“Huh… All right then, doctor first.”

 

The medic was incredibly condescending.  Amelia could barely understand him, but his tone of voice in responding to Dey was very rude.

 

“A talking tree thinks your insides aren’t working?”

 

“Here.”  She touched her throat.

 

“Your neck isn’t working?”

 

She rolled her eyes.  “No.  Not neck.  Picture insides?”  She picked up the tablet laying on the table. She pulled up the Terran anatomy page and pointed to the thyroid.  “Here, not working right.   And this,” She pulled up a picture of microcytic hypochromia, “blood wrong.  Like this.”

 

“A talking tree told you that?”

 

“A Groot told me.”

 

“What’s a Groot?”

 

Dey interrupted, “Look, can you just run the tests, rule it out or what ever and we can at cross it off our to do list?”

 

“I don’t talk orders from imaginary talking trees.”

 

“Fair enough.  So take the order from me.  Run the damn tests.”

 

With bad grace the doctor pulled out a device and pressed it to the inside of Amelia's wrist. He waited a moment then looked at the readings and entered something into his work surface.   A moment later he pulled a sticker off the printer and applied it to her wrist just above the joint. 

 

"She is to leave that in place for up to 36 hours." He said, not looking at her, "She will need to be back after that for a rescan and replacement.  You will also need to make sure she is getting enough iron, calcium and protein."

 

"Thank you," said Amelia. 

 

"Was the imaginary talking tree correct?" Dey asked innocently. 

 

The doctor glared at him, "Thank you for coming in today. I will see you tomorrow afternoon."

 

Dey smirked a bit, "and I need you to sign off on her attending combat training with Nova Corp.”

 

“The Nova Corp does NOT use slaves.  Why is she going for combat training?”

 

“Her owner is Drax the Destroyer and Gamora herself insisted she get combat training.”

 

The Doctor considered this.  “When you bring her back tomorrow for the next dose of meds I’ll see if they have started working yet. We can talk about it then.”

 

Amelia was looking at the sticker on her wrist.  "What is this?"

 

The Doctor rolled his eyes, "magic sticker fix your not working insides."

 

Amelia glared at him. Then she picked up his tablet, thought hard to remember her organic chemist class from back in the day and drew C15H11I4NO4. "Magic sticker this?" She asked.  

 

He looked startled. The took a picture of her drawing with his tablet, translated it into Common and sat back astonished.  "Are you a Terran doctor?" He asked, the rudeness finally draining from his mannerisms. 

 

"No."

 

"Yes, that is part of the drug.  Also," he drew C15H12I3NO4 and C12H24FeO14 and  C815H1317N233O241S5 "to fix your blood."

 

She nodded. "Thank you."  She ran her finger over the drawing. "This one bad." She said touching the C815H1317N233O241S5.  "Not want this."

 

"You aren't getting very much."  

 

"Hmmmm."

 

"What am I missing?" Dey interrupted. 

 

"She doesn't like the blood volume expander that I'm giving her."

 

"How does she even know what that is?"

 

"I am not stupid.  I work with doctors before.  Too much this, heart stop, Terrans die."

 

"I'm not giving you too much.  Too much anything people die."

 

"I am not sick so much I need this."

 

They both watched each other for a moment. The doctor covered the sticker with his hand and applied pressure for a moment. Then he put Amelia's hand over the sticker and printed another one.  He put the new sticker on her other wrist and removed the first one.  "If I don't see improvement in the next week we go back to using that. Understand?" 

 

She nodded. "Not any better one week we talk about it."

 

"Stubborn little thing, aren't you?  Fine. We'll talk about it next week. New med patch tomorrow.  When your body normalizes, we can harvest the some bone marrow and just permanently repair your thyroid.”

 

“Too many words that I don’t understand.”

 

“When you are healthy, we can use your bones to fix your thyroid.”

 

“Oh!  _Stem cells._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.
> 
> The problem with this fandom is that if you are going to treat Rocket as a person and write him as an adult person, sooner or later you have to decide if you are going to write a raccoon sex scene. Plus your browser history gets way more interesting when you try to find out if raccoons exhibit homosexual behaviour. 
> 
> And in case you are interested, yes they do.
> 
> I haven't decided if I am going to write that yet. Care to weigh in?


	27. Going Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> behold! the angst

Once they finally finished up with the doctor, Dey lead Amelia through the maze of Nova Corp HQ, out the front lobby and on to the commuter tram back to his apartment.  His wife, Wen and his daughter, Rho were waiting for them.

 

Rho was very excited, “Daddy!  You brought us an alien to stay?”

 

Amelia grinned.  “Hello.”

 

Wen looked hesitant.  “You are Drax’s slave?”

 

“Yes,” Amelia said simply, not sure what else to add.

 

“He left you here, you can apply for Citizenship.”

 

“Ummm….  We are going to just hold off on that for now.” Dey added.  “I know this is a bit uncomfortable, but I really think it is the best thing for now.”

 

Wen looked unconvinced.  Amelia looked uneasy.

 

“Let me show you to your room.” It sounded a bit too bright even as Dey was saying it.  He led Amelia to the smallest bedroom. “This is where you will be staying.  There is a toilet and a shower through there.” He pointed to a small door off to the side.  “Nova Corp arranged to move your things here already.”

 

Something in that made Amelia stiffen.  Dey noticed and asked, “Everything OK?”

 

She sighed.  “Yes.  Thank you, Denarian Dey.  I will stay here in this room.  I am happy to have a bathroom with a shower.  Thank you for keeping me while Drax is away.”

 

“Oh…Kay…”  Wen said.  She headed back down the hallway to the kitchen.  “I’ll make something for supper.  Come on, Rho, let Amelia get settled.”

 

Dey watched hesitated.  Something was wrong with his guest and despite asking before he offered to let Amelia stay with them, his wife was upset.  He hurried off to the kitchen to help organize supper.

 

This let Amelia with her thoughts.  She didn’t really think Drax would leave her with some asshole who would expect her to stay in one room until the gang returned from their quest.  On the other hand, Drax was the first non-asshole she had met since she left Earth and she had certainly lived with aliens who expected exactly that.  Plus, they had a kid and didn’t know her.  If she started out on her very best, non threatening behaviour that would likely and better than expecting to be treated like a person and being reminded that she wasn’t.

 

Dey shouted down the hallway, “Dinnner time!”  They waited.

 

“I’ll go check on her,” said Wen. She found the woman pacing her room.  When Amelia saw Wen, she dropped to the floor and bowed her head.  Wen felt uneasy but said, “Come on then.  Don’t you want to eat?”

 

Amelia hesitated, then said carefully, “I do want to eat.  Denarian Dey said that I will be staying in this room while I am with you.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I am staying in this room.”

 

“Yes, and?”  Then Wen understood. “He didn’t mean you aren't allowed to leave this room.  It’s just that this is where you will sleep.”

 

Amelia looked uncertain.

 

“Come on, I’ll show you to the kitchen, we are ready to eat.”

 

That first meal was awkward for everyone.  Amelia was very careful about how much food she took.  She made sure it was always less than Rho had on her plate.  Wen, called her on it once she noticed.

 

Amelia asked home much food she was allowed to have.

 

Wen said as much as she wanted.

 

Amelia switched to making sure her helpings were smaller than what Wen took and after everyone was done eating she cleared the table and went to wash the dishes.

 

Wen jumped up from the table, “You don’t have to do that.”

 

“It is important to me that I help with food.  You cooked so I tidy.  Please show me how you want cleaned so that I can help.”

 

After dishes, Amelia went back to the room she was staying.  She spent an hour going through her regular yoga routine.  At least here the ceiling height was enough that she could stretch upward without bumping her hands on the ceiling.  She did as many push-ups as she could, using the end of the bed to assist.  Then she did crunches and squats.

 

She cleaned up and put on her pyjamas and went to find Wen to ask if she was allowed to sleep with the door closed.  Wen just stared at her.  Amelia tried to explain that sometimes she didn’t sleep well and she didn’t want the noise to wake them, but she wasn’t sure it was OK.  Wen had just told her she could open or close the door as she liked.  

 

On a planet with three suns, it never actually got dark out, but Amelia figured out how to dim the windows.  She went to bed.

 

When she finally managed to wake, her throat and head hurt and the sheets where tangled around her.  The nightmares had been awful and there wasn’t anyone to wake her.  She staggered into the bathroom and held on to the mirror staring down her reflection until her heart rate slowed enough to brush her teeth and get dressed.  She stripped and remade the bed so that it would be pretty again. 

 

Then she opened the door a crack and listened for sounds of life from the rest of the house.  Someone was moving in the kitchen.  She went to see if she could help make breakfast.  

 

“Why is your name so long?” Rho asked.

 

Amelia shrugged. “You can call me something shorter if you like.”  It came out as a whispered croak.

 

“Are you sick?” Wen looked upset.

 

“No, just bad voice sometimes.”  She wasn’t going to get into a discussion about night terrors and screaming in her sleep with a little girl.

 

“Can I call you Miel?” Rho asked

 

Amelia grinned.  “If you like.  Miel means honey on Terra.”

 

“Is your name a sentence? Like something honey something something?”

 

“No, Rho, it is just a name.”

 

“Mom says names are important.   It is important to try to remember peoples names.”

 

“She is right.”

 

“Can I take you to school today?”

 

“Sweetie, Amelia is going to work with Daddy.”

 

They returned on the tram, and Dey took her straight back to the Doctor.

 

“You are early.” He complained.

 

“She’s sick.” Dey explained.

 

“Nonsense.”

 

“I’m good.  I just didn’t sleep well.” Amelia croaked.

 

The doctor looked at her shocked.  He pulled out a device and scanned her.  “Laryngitis, from over use.  What did you spend the night singing opera?  And why are your muscles full of lactic acid?”

 

“I don’t understand the word lactic acid.” 

 

He drew it.

 

“Oh!  I am training.”

 

“I didn’t authorize training.”

 

“I am training in the room where I am staying.”

 

“With whom?”

 

“Alone.”

 

“Hmmm,” the doctor looked thoughtful.  Then he pulled out a … thing that looked like an ophthalmoscope and pressed it to her shoulder.  There was a brief burst of pain and then the tension drained out of her muscles.

 

She shrugged her shoulders experimentally. Then she slapped the doctor, hard. “Never EVER drug Me Without ASKING!” She half yelled half croaked.  Her fists were balled and her body tense and she was clearly ready to hit him again.

 

He rubbed his jaw.  “Quite right.  My apologies.”  He gave her a look.  “Well, if you are going to get into fights, it would be good to learn to throw a punch with out breaking your hand.”  He pulled up a file on his tablet then pressed his thumb to the the surface.  “I would hurry if I were you.  Training starts in about 10 minutes.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feed the muse 
> 
> next chapter imminent


	28. Going Hunting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to The Milano

Drax watched Dey lead Amelia away.  He knew she would be safer here than traveling to a camp of dangerous mercenaries.  He missed her already.  This was a foolish mission Quill had agreed to.  What where the odds the man still had the thing?  He had agreed to go, of course.  It wasn’t until later that they told him he wouldn’t be allowed to kill or maim the man who had cause Amelia such strife.

 

This was a mistake.  If he got off the ship now, he could take her to his bed and keep her there, safe and warm and moaning his name.

 

And the man who sold her as though she mattered not would continue to walk beneath the stars.

 

He knew Dey was a good man and that she would be as safe as he could keep her.  The problem was as safe as Dey could keep her was not as safe as Drax could keep her.

 

He stomped through the ship to the cock pit and strapped in.  Get the bad guy.  Save the universe from killer robots.  Keep her safe.

 

He didn’t say a word all through the take off and departure from the system.  His scowl keep conversation to a minimum.  Once they were en route, he went to his room.  The bed still smelled like her.  He buried his face in the pillow and breathed deep. Then he lay down on the floor.  The linens would keep her scent longer if he didn’t use them.

 

In the morning, he woke up hard and disoriented.  He was washing up and realized her lip gloss was still on the ship.  He messaged Dey and asked the man to get some for her.  He also wired 10,000 credits to cover whatever she may need while he was away and he filled out the paperwork for her to go to Rocket if he died.

 

He headed out to the kitchen for breakfast.  Rocket was already there eating eggs.

 

“How’d you sleep?” Rocket asked.

 

“About as well as you,” Drax replied noticing the mussed up fur and blurry eyes.

 

“I miss her skin.”

 

“I miss her smell. Her taste.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“Not helpful.”

 

Peter came in. “We are only going to be a few weeks.  Are you two going to sulk the whole time?” 

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“This would be easier if we were going to flay Azul.”

 

“Terra needs him alive.”  Peter reminded him.

 

“It’s only six days from the camp to Terra.  I could keep him alive that long,” Gamora offered as she entered.  “Well,” she qualified, “mostly alive.  Breathing, at least.”

 

“Why are you so invested in this?”

 

“She is kind.  I have not seen much kindness in my life.” Gamora explained.  “That and I’m hoping to watch her and Drax have sex later.”

 

That got everyone’s attention.

 

There was a moment of silence.

 

But it only lasted a moment.

 

Peter said, “What!?”

 

Rocket said, “Why?”

 

Peter added, “Can I watch too?”

 

Drax asked, “Have you discussed this with her?”

 

Gamora ignored all the questions except Drax’s.  “Yes.  She said she understands what I was asking.  Later she said that maybe I could sometime.  I see the way you look at her.  I want to watch that in action.”

 

Peter piped in, “I look at you like that.”

 

“Sometimes.” Gamora conceded.  “But neither of us love as innocently as Drax does.  I love you Peter, but my heart is always guarded.  You grew up with people who were a constant threat.  You know what I mean.”

 

“Yeah, I do.”  Peter poured the coffee. “So, we get this bastard first and orgy second?”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

Rocket looked at Groot and nodded, “I’m all for getting the bastard.  But there is a big difference between maybe someday letting Gamora watch and having an orgy.  How do you even ask for that with out it being the five of us ganging up on the pet?”

 

“She is not a pet!” Drax roared.  “We do not describe you as such, how can you say that of her?”

 

“I was making a point.  I know I have a choice.  She just spent the last year having all her choices taken away.”

 

“I’m going to sharpen my knives.” Drax stormed out of the kitchen.  He remembered the discussion with the first doctor.  He had been appalled when the being had suggested he get Amelia sterilized so that he could share her with his friends and here they were discussing just that.

 

Gamora found him, then brought her own knives and wet stones.  She sat and worked and said nothing for a very long time.

 

It was almost time for lunch when she finally spoke.  “Does it upset you that I want to watch?”

 

“It upsets me that you spent a month lecturing me on letting her make her own decisions about her body and then, this morning you are discussing her as though none of that matters.”

 

“It does matter, Drax.  I will not insist on this.  I expressed interest to her first.  I thought if she agreed you would not be bothered by my presence.  You are comfortable being naked around us.  I am asking. As politely as I know how.  I will be respectful of your refusal.  I just wanted you to be aware of my desire.”

 

“If she invites you without additional requests from the group, I will not object to you watching quietly from the corner.  But the invitation must come unbidden from her.”

 

Gamora nodded, “Of course.”

 

Before Amelia joined them, everyone would often just scrounge food for themselves when they felt like it.  She had just started cooking for all of them and since there was food, they turned up to eat it.  Previously Drax would sometimes batch cook and everyone would eat when they felt like it.

 

This was the first time Peter had made food for everyone.  It was sandwiches, but he had made eight of them.  Rocket was setting the table.   Drax went to the chill chest and got out some fruit to cut up.

 

Peter felt like he should provide a pep talk.  “It’s only a few weeks.  Let’s just get this done and get on with our lives.”

 

Drax did the washing up and spent the afternoon in the make shift gym in the cargo hold.  For dinner, he made stew and tried to remember the biscuit recipe Amelia made.  It almost worked.

 

When it was time to sleep again, Rocket came to his room.  “It stills smells like her in here.”

 

“I have been sleeping on the floor to keep it that way as long as I can.”

 

Rocket considered this.  “There’s and extra bunk in our room.  Groot just sleeps against the wall.  You could use it, if you want.”

 

Drax consider this.  “I keep thinking I need to just get this done and go home.  Somewhere along the way, she became my home.”

 

Rocket considered this.  “Yeah, I can see that,” he finally said.  “Groot is my family.  My home.  Amelia was a close second though, ‘cause she tried to make us her family.”

 

“You speak of her as though she is dead.”

 

“Drax, you had her for, what, about eight or nine weeks?  It’s gonna to be three weeks easy before we get back to Xandar.  She’s gonna spend that time learning Common, learning how to fit in and she’ll be all ready to claim citizenship by the time we get back.  Hell, she’ll might even have a boyfriend by then.  She aint gonna wanna get back in this tin can - this ship to take care of us.”

 

Drax tensed but said nothing.

 

“You want her to be happy, you gotta get used to the idea that she might be happy without us.”

 

“I will consider this."

 

Drax was not happy with the idea that there could be someone else wooing Amelia while he was away.   He tried to think of the things he could do to help her think favourably of him.  He wanted to send her a message but he wasn't sure what to say.  He was a little afraid to just declare his feelings over video message.  She would know he loved her, correct?

 

It occurred to him that if he was phrasing that as a question he had some work to do. 

 

He went to the common room and pulled up the vid call program. He called the tablet Peter had lent her. The drawer in the kitchen started to ring.   He growled. 

 

Rocket came into the room. "Why you up?  Come back to bed."  

 

"I want to call Amelia but I did not arrange a device for her so that I could."

 

"Drax," Rocket said, explaining as if to a child, "I gave her a phone full of music.  Remember?  Just call her on that."  

 

"I do not know how."

 

Rocket sighed. "Come on. We'll sit on the couch and call her together."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.
> 
> I'm away for a couple of days. Leave me a bunch of inspirational comments for when I come back, OK?


	29. Bedtime Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the sex scene people are asking for. That won't be for another few chapters.

Gamora walked her patrol.  She checked all the rooms.  Made sure everyone was tucked in.  She checked the prisoner, the engine room, the control room, the kitchen, the common room then one more trip through the cargo bay.  She kept to the shadows practicing stealth, even though there was no one to sneak up on.  Eventually, she ended up, as she often did, in Peter’s room.

 

He was in the tiny washroom, shaving.  He made eye contact in the mirror.  “So, you like to watch, huh?”

 

“Sometimes.”

 

“I do have a small but excellent collection of porn…”

 

“Is that a joke?”

 

“No?”

 

She smirked, “Is that a question?”

 

“Why her?”

 

Gamora hesitated.  “I have been there.  Naked.  Starving.  Terrified.  Forced to have sex with beings not of my choosing. I could not have chosen Drax.  I chose you because if it ever came down to you or me, I could and would kill you.”

 

“Gee, thanks.”

 

“How many women have you fucked?  How many have you allowed your self to become emotionally attached to?”

 

“A lot, and you are the first.”

 

“So, why me?  And, stop and think about your answer for a moment.”

 

Peter actually did.  It took a few moments.  Finally, he went and sat on the edge of the bed.  “‘Cuz your childhood was even more fucked up than mine and you were still trying to do the right thing with the orb.  You were willing to die to protect it.”

 

“The Ravagers threatened you with death.  You grew up with that hanging over your head.  You were a small boy on a ship full of men.  How often were you molested?”

 

Peter didn't say anything.

 

Gamora asked, “Could you have chosen Drax?  Someone bigger, stronger than you?   Someone who could kill you in his sleep and not even break a REM cycle?”

 

“I’m starting to think I did.”

 

Gamora was startled by that.  “Do I intimidate you, Peter?”

 

“Hells yeah!  But I also trust you.”

 

She walked over and put her hand on his chin, turning his face towards her.  She leaned over and kissed him.  “Most species don’t do this, you know.  Kissing is a very Terran thing.  Mouths are one of the worst locations on the body for bacteria growth.  The first time you kissed me it was abhorrent.”

 

“Great.  Thanks for the pep talk.”

 

“Shut up and listen for a moment.  Drax’s people don’t kiss.  But they do exchange scents.  It is also usual for the male to lick the female after intercourse.  Is that normal on Terra?”

 

“Not that I remember.”

 

“The first time she kissed him, he interpreted it as a bite.  Or a nearly bite.  Nonetheless, he held still and did not react thinking she was going to bite his face.  I could not have done that.  In fact I didn’t.  I pulled a knife on you the first time you brought your mouth to mine. I spent nearly my whole life learn to suppress my revulsion and I still nearly gutted you over that.”

 

“Ok! Ok! Kissing is disgusting!  I get it!”

 

“Then you understand nothing!” She barked.  “My point is, he thought she was going to bite him, and HE LET IT HAPPEN!”

 

Peter thought about that for moment.

 

“I pride myself on my self control.” Gamora added.  “But I could not, did not do that.  In this, Drax has me out classed.  He is a warrior, yet he makes himself vulnerable for her.”

 

They were both silent while that sunk in. Then Gamora continued:

 

“I can not sleep with you.  When I am sated and sleepy, I lock myself in my room.  I could not hold still and let you lick me as I drowse. I could not allow myself to be claimed the many little ways that he claims her.

 

“When I confronted her, thinking she had been forced, she bared herself before me and allowed me to look for damage.  I could not do that.  I was tempted to believe she is simply foolish. That she is unaware of the danger in which she puts herself. Yet as I watched her, she is not.  She is kind. She is perfectly aware of what she is risking and she does it anyway.

 

“It was then that I realized, for all that I have fought and killed, in this she is braver than I.  And, so, yes, I want to watch.  I want to watch her do the thing that I am not brave enough to do.  That, perhaps I will never be brave enough to do.

 

“I would not have allowed myself to submit to Groot.

 

“I would not have thought to trick Rocket into allowing himself to be carried.  I was too busy being proud of how patient I was waiting for him to keep up.”

 

At that Peter piped up.  “I don't really think that was a trick.  It was more like she found a way for him to accept help without injuring his pride.”

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

“Yeah, I do.”  He sighed. “So, my mouth is completely repulsive, huh?”

 

She smiled, “Over time, I have learned to enjoy your mouth and all the things you do with it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feed the muse, because the wifi here is terrible and get this posted was a right pain.


	30. Long Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The break indicated where I had gone a little over board and wrote four pages detailing Amelia's first day with Nova. Since it didn't do much to further the story it has been culled. The resulting chapter is a little shorter than average but I am trying to post something every day or every other day.

Training wasn't really training. Not the first day. She stood in line with a bunch of other humanoids. She was given a uniform and a locker. She changed into the uniform and put her satchel and clothes into the locker which opened with her thumb print.  Then she went into a conference room and was handed a form.   

 

She couldn't actually read it. She told the person handing them out, "I can't read this."

 

The person rolled their eyes, all three of them, then took her picture.  "You are in the wrong place," she was told, "slaves can't join Nova Corp."

 

Amelia tried to explain, "I'm not joining. I'm here for training."

 

The person Amelia was talking to unfolded themselves out of the chair and stood up to their full eight feet of height leaned over and announced in a loud voice, "We Don't Train Slaves!"

 

Amelia blushed but stood her ground. Her voice wasn't loud but the silence was ringing, "Denarian Dey brought me here for training. This where I'm supposed to be."

 

Some one else bustled over. "What is going on?"

 

—-

 

Hands. Holding her down. Crushing her.  Screaming so much...

 

Phone ringing, default iPhone ring tone. 

 

Autopilot kicked in and she sat up, grabbed the phone and said, " _Hello?"_ Before her brain engaged.  As she struggled back to wakefulness she added, " _Wait!  How did you get this number?  How do I even have service?"_

 

"Amelia you have to hold the iPop in front of you. We can only see your ear."

 

This did not help her level of confusion.   She looked at the phone for an explanation and saw Drax and Rocket. " _Holy shit! It works as a phone?"_

 

Drax looked worried and embarrassed. "I am sorry we woke you."  Then he noticed the black eye. He tensed, Rocket grabbed his arm.  

 

"It's ok. I was having a bad sleep. It was good to wake.  Dey's wife Wen took me shopping for lipgloss. She said you were worried that I had left mine on The Milano. That was nice. I had a... not good day. It made me happy that you thought of me."

 

"Why are there bruises on your face?"

 

She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I...   I was at the doctor and he gave me drugs without asking. I got angry and hit him. Then I went to training with Nova Corp.  There was a little problem, but they assessed me anyway.  About an hour into the _treadmill_ the running test, I got distracted and fell off the... running thing."

 

Rocket frowned, "The running test is only 1/3 hour."

 

"Oh...  I just kept _jogging,_ um walking fast until someone came to ask if I was ok. That's when I noticed the doctor has done something else because I should have been out of breath.   Nova Corp wanted me to let the doctor fix my bruise but it's the same doctor and I don't trust him anymore."

 

Drax’s voice was very calm when he said, “You were drugged without consent then they forced you to run for an hour and did not provide you with medical care when you became injured.”

 

“I can see how that sounds really bad, but I liked the running part.  I wasn’t going that fast and ….” She stopped.  “Yeah, so the medical thing is really that bad.  But after I slapped the doctor, they let me refuse to go back.”

 

She groaned and covered her face with her hands, “ _Argh!  I can't believe I slapped the doctor!  The man was a condescending son of a bitch, but still!”_

 

Drax looked worried, “Are you all right?”

 

“I should not have hit the doctor.  I am ashamed.”

 

“Dey should be taking better care of you.”

 

“Dey and his family are awesome.  His wife Wen is very nice and his daughter, Rho, is so sweet.  She calls me Miel.  Everyone here has very short names.  They are very careful with me.”

 

Rocket piped up, “Why were you at the doctor in the first place?”

 

Amelia hesitated, “You know how Groot is always complaining that part of me is not working?  Dey took me to the doctor to get drugs to help replace that.  But the doctor also gave me some sort of pain meds without telling me what he was doing.  That’s when I hit him.  I think he also gave me ….something to make my blood grow faster.  It isn’t…  I’m not sick enough to need that.”

 

Neither Rocket nor Drax looked happy, but it was Rocket that asked: “If you aren’t going back, how are you going to get the drug to do the thing you do need?”

 

“I won’t. I’ll just not have it for a little while longer.  You will be back in a few weeks and …” She hesitated, “maybe you can find me someone who won’t give me extra drugs I don’t want.”

 

“You would remain ill because I am not able to help you get medicine?”  Drax appeared very calm.  

 

Rocket knew his friend was never really that calm unless he was getting ready to slaughter someone.  He was pleased to learn that Amelia was not total idiot.

 

She paused for a moment to gather the right words.  “Drax.  It isn’t …  I am not sick too bad.  Just a little.  It will need to be fixed but I can wait a little until you get back.  I think Xandar can actually fix the broken part, not just use medicine to pretend it isn’t broken.  I will wait for you because I trust you to do the right thing and find a doctor who … will not … do things without telling me.”

 

Drax nodded.  “I miss you.”

 

“ _Oh gods!_ I miss you too!  I miss have you to keep the… bad sleep?  Scary sleep? _Nightmares_ I don’t know the right word. I sleep better with you.”

 

“I sent some money, in case you need to buy things.”

 

“Thank you.  And thank you, Rocket for the phone.  I have been listening to the songs.  You found some really good ones.  I haven’t watched any of the vids yet.  No time.”  Amelia tried to stifle a yawn, but failed.  “Can I call you?  Or does it just take calls?”

 

Rocket hesitated.  “You can call anyone you have a picture of.  Just knock on the picture like you are knocking on a door.  If you are on their approved list, the call will go through.  That said, we are going to be spending a couple of weeks with some really scum bags.  It would be safer if we call you.”

 

“Ok.” Amelia sounded sleepy.  “Is it night time where you are?”

 

“Yes.” Drax said simply.

 

“You and Rocket keeping each other warm?”  He voice was slow and gentle and she had snuggled in under the covers.

 

Drax hesitated.  “I slept on the floor last night.”

 

“Now that’s just silly,” Amelia said, yawning.  “I am alone here, but you are not alone.  You can take care of each other.”

 

Drax was a little taken aback.

 

Rocket piped up with a leer, “Would you like to see that?”

 

She snorted sleepily.  “Sure.  Sometimes maybe you would let me pet you.”  She was barely awake now.  “You are so soft against my back.  I would love to feel your fur on my hands.  Rub your cheeks and around your ears.”  She yawned again, “ _Scratch the corner of your jaw bone and see if you purr.”_   It was barely a murmur.

 

“You’re switching languages on us again.” Drax pointed out.

 

“Um hmm….  Sorry.  Tell me a story, Drax.”

 

“What kind of a story?”

 

“Somming nice…” she slurred.

 

“Next time I see you I’m going to rub oil into your muscles like I did at the bath.  I’m going to find that spot on the bottom of your foot that makes you moan and I’m going rub it with my thumb as you squirm.”

 

“Wa else?”

 

“I would like to start at your finger tips and work the tension out of your hands and wrists.  The muscles are so tight in your forearms.  I was afraid to press too hard and hurt you, but I can run my fingers over them and work out the knots.  After you arms are all relaxed, I would work my hands over your shoulders taking away the stress that you hold there.  Then as your muscles soften, I will run my hands over your breasts and work your nipples with my fingers to make them crinkle.”

 

“Ummm…”  Her eyes were barely slits now.

 

“Good night, Amelia.  I will call you earlier tomorrow.”

 

“ _G’nigh,_ Drax. _love you.”_ The phone went dark.

 

“You heard the lady.  Time to sleep.  You don’t get to touch me either.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to give a great big shout out to the commenters here. This was the second place where I wasn't happy with how things were going and I nearly abandoned the story. The reader feedback is really very helpful to me. This is the first story I have actually shared with anyone. I was totally prepared to get a bunch of negative reviews after the first few chapters and never post again.
> 
> Thank you all so much for the support.
> 
> Please keep feeding the muse.


	31. Stem Cells and Sock Yarn

By the time the Milano reached Cashel, Nova Corp was already searching the place. Whatever Azul had been on Terra, he was now missing an arm, a foot and most of his face.  To Rocket’s delight, Nova Corp had already removed his prosthetics and had dismantled them looking for Terra tech.

 

Gamora took one look at him and said, “He doesn't have it.”

 

Peter was surprised.  “How can you be sure?”

 

“He was to bring the software to Thanos.  But when he got there, the device he brought with him was blank.  His current state is a reflection of my fa….of Thanos’ disappointment at being deny the toy he wanted.  If he had merely hidden it somewhere, Thanos would have learned.”

 

“Ok, pack him up,” Rocket told the Denarian holding Azul. “Sooner we dump him on Terra, sooner we can get on with our lives.  Let them figure out what to do with him.”

 

“Did you find any Terran technology at all?” Drax asked.

 

“Sure,” said the Denarian.  “We got a whole bag of it over there.”  He pointed to a large grey and black bag on a table in the corner.  “We fished it out of his ship’s non-organic waste containment.  But it is pretty smashed up.”

 

Drax went over to look.  On the table were two cords.  They both had the shape Terra was looking for on one end, but the other ends were different and different from each other.  Opening the bag he found a wallet full of Terran identibadges, two with pictures of Amelia looking vaguely disoriented, an iPop with a smashed screen and a 30 degree bend in the body, a second, slightly larger electronic devise, and string that had been turned mostly into a pair of socks with some broken sticks still impaled through the cuffs.

 

He ignored the rest but picked up what he thought of as an iPop.

 

Rocket came over.  “I already got her one of those.”

 

Drax said nothing but took the whole bag out of the room.

 

Rocket followed him.  “Hey!  What gives?”

 

“I do not wish to speak of her in front of that man.”

 

“Fair enough, but what’s up with you bothering to keep that broken piece of junk?  I promise the one I made is way better.”

 

“If this is hers, it had pictures of her family on it.”

 

“Oh.” Rocket took it carefully.  “Well, the case and the screen are completely fucked.  But the important part is the memory chip on the inside.  I’ll see what I can do.”

 

Drax nodded.  Gamora came up behind him.  “You are angry, but I promise there is nothing you can do to him that would be worse than what Thanos did.”

 

Drax nodded.  “After we depart, perhaps you can entertain us with stories of that.”

 

They stuffed Azul in one of the portable cells provided by Nova, and bagged up all the parts from his prosthesis.   The cell was a version of the six foot cube that Amelia had lived in at the petting zoo. The symmetry of that pleased Drax.  This one had opaque areas, which was less pleasing.  It meant the prisoner would have places to hide what he was doing.  That was less pleasing.

 

As they departed, Peter asked the Denarian if they could send the location code of the vidscreen on Terra to the Milano, so that he could let Director Coulson know they where coming.

 

“Don’t worry,” he said, ”Nova will get you that information.”

…

 

Amelia had a problem.  It was Day One of proper training.  It wasn't going well.  She and the recruits were being taught fighting techniques.  They watched the move, they demonstrated the move alone, they tried out the move on a fellow recruit.  Fine.  But after their target took the blow, everyone went to the side line and the waiting doctors patched them up.

 

She wasn’t happy with the doctors here.  So the first couple of times, when it was her turn, she took the blow, ended up with a bruise, then ignored the docs on the sidelines.  None of her injuries were more than bruises.  The muscle fatigue that everyone else was being treated for wasn’t anything she wouldn’t have had to deal with back home, so she just ignored it too.

 

Until she threw a punch that landed wrong.  She felt her opponents orbit blow out and the head of her fifth metacarpal snap. 

 

The instructor pulled her aside.  “Ok, you are done.  That’s it until your hand heals.  So either get treatment or go home.”

 

She stood on the sidelines glaring at the docs as she pulled the bone in her hand straight.  Then she looked at her hand.  It hadn’t started swelling yet, the pain didn’t flare up her arm and in into her armpit until she actually looked at it.  When it it did, it made her whole body clench.  “ _Fuck_.”

 

She went and sat on the sidelines with her back to the wall and tried to talk herself into asking for care when she had no idea what they were going to do, from assholes that wouldn’t bother trying to explain themselves.

 

She jumped when the woman came and sat next to her.  The woman stiffened but did not move.  “I’m Doctor Kat,” She said.  “I hear you slapped the last Doctor who treated you.”

 

“He didn’t have consent when he treated me.”

 

“I heard that.  His story is that he didn’t need to get consent from a slave.”

 

“Then he should have gotten consent from Drax.”

 

Dr Kat hesitated at that.  “If I wait until Drax returns to get consent to fix you hand, do you think he will be happy with that decision?”

 

“No.”

 

“Can I fix you hand?  Your file says you have had BoneMend™ before.”

 

“Other doctor said you could use my bones to fix my thyroid.  Easier to get to the _marrow_ , inside of my bones while it is already broken, right?”

 

“That is way more invasive that just patching you up and sending you back to training.”

 

“What would you do?”

 

“I wouldn’t be in the combat training in the first place.”

 

Amelia hesitated, “I mean what would you do to get at my bones?”

 

“Oh.  I computer guided biopsy needle would go into the head of your fifth metacarpal and extract some stem cells, we would put them in a cell washer then inject them back into your thyroid.”

 

“I didn't understand those words.  You have a picture?”

 

Kat pulled up a vid.  It was animated, the subject was pink, and they were taking stem cells from his sternum.

 

Amelia watched.  “OK.”

 

“Just like that?”

 

“Drax is upset that I didn’t get help from the first doctor and I don’t want to have to get meds when I don’t trust what he puts in them.  One try.  Then all done.  Right?”

 

“Ok.  You will have to come back to the med bay for this.”

 

They had just finished the biopsy when a Corpsman burst in.  “They need her in Coms NOW.”

 

“Just wait,” said Dr Kat.  “I haven’t given her the BoneMend™ yet.”

 

“No time!” he said grabbing Amelia’s good hand and hauled her out of the chair.

 

The room swirled around her as he dragged her down the hall, around the corner, up several levels, through many sets of security doors and dumped her into a chair in front of a projection of Director Coulson.  She felt slight nauseous.  It was made significantly worse by his first sentence.

 

“ _Dr Karen Azul!  I was not expecting to see you!_ ”

 

She leaned over and fought the urge to vomit.  “ _Never, ever, call me that again_.”

 

When she thought she could sit up without being sick, she looked around at the people in the room.  There was Dey and a number of people with fancier uniforms than his.  Higher ranking people.  Her common wasn’t up to this.  “What is going on?”

 

A woman with shoulder pads worthy of the height of 1980’s fashion and white hair swirled up into a most impressive ducktail/victory roll combination spoke.   “The Guardians of the Galaxy have located Azul and are taking him to Terra.  You need to let Terra know, to expect them in five standard days.”

 

“Ok,   How long is that in Terran days?” Amelia asked.  No one knew.  She sighed.  “How long between the start of the first call Pe.. Quill made to Terra and the start of this call?”

 

There was a flurry of activity.  The final math said it was 2.73 days.

 

“ _You are the director of SHEILD?”_ Amelia asked.

 

“ _Yes_.” Coulson replied simply.

 

_“Ok.  I don’t want to talk to you.  Put on one of your science monkeys.”_

 

The first young man bustled over and sat in the chair.  _“I’m Leo Fitz.  I am happy to be your science monkey for today.”_

 

Amelia smiled.  " _Hello fellow science monkey.  Do you have good records of the times of these calls?”_ She asked.

 

_“Fairly good, yes.”_

 

 _“Ok.  It has been 2.73_ standard _days from the start of the first call with Quill until the start of this call.  In five_ standard _days, the Guardians of the Galaxy will bring you Azul.  You need to tell them where to land and not shoot at them.”_

 

_“Hmm…  It’s been 3.64 Earth days since the last call so, they will be here in 6.6 days.”_

 

_"Can you send me a map with the location you want them to land?”_

 

_"Right. Excuse me for a moment"_

 

Fitz bustled off and the woman with the ponytail sat down. _"Jemma Simmons,"_ she said.  " _I read your dissertation on The Necessity of Socialism in the Context of Communicable Diseases and Public Health. It was very well done.  I especially enjoyed your analysis of the Toronto SARS outbreak as compared to the American handling of the Ebola outbreak. I don't know if you are interested but you were awarded you doctorate posthumously."_

 

_"Hmm. Are you familiar with Terry Pratchett?"_

 

_"Yes."_

 

_"That right there is why he called us Pans narrans. It makes a good story to say that I died in a car accident with my husband and our unborn child before I learned I had earned my doctorate.   Very tragic.  The degrees people get after their deaths say more about the people giving them than the people getting them."_

 

Amelia paused, " _Thank you for the kind words, though."_

 

Jemma looked a little uncomfortable. " _What happened to your face?  Did your, umm, owner do that?  I heard he's called The Destroyer."_

 

Amelia snorted. " _Nah, this was a training accident.  The Destroyer is a peach.  My first owner, on the other hand, got sexual pleasure from the sound frequency of my screams. That was no fun, but he sold me as soon as my vocal cords shredded."_

 

Jemma's face froze, her warm smile turned sickly.  “ _What were they training you to do?”_

 

_“I’m getting combat training from the local law enforcement. So, while you have me here, what do you want to know?  I hear your Director wanted a debriefing."_

 

Coulson took the chair and immediately apologized for the treatment she had received during her time with SHIELD. It sounded surprisingly sincere and Amelia was very good at telling the difference.  That went a long way towards calming her.  He spent a few minutes asking about her, well, he wasn't really her husband.  No district on Earth that would recognize a mixed species marriage. 

 

She talked about how he was posing as a doctor and how he was a brilliant diagnostician. About how she now believed he was just using alien technology to identify the disease not actual skill.   About how he was charming, pointing out that his last name meant blue in Portuguese, when she introduced herself as Karen Green. 

 

No, she had no idea that he was an alien. His accent was a bit odd, but not unexpected in a world (Ha!) traveller and his use of idiom was no worse than any other ESL speaker. 

 

 _Call, me Phil_ asked about what happened after she left Earth.  Then he asked how she came into the possession of The Destroyer.  

 

Amelia hesitated.  She told them about the petting zoo, leaving out some of the nastier bits.  Talking about her time at the slave market was hard. When she got to Drax, she simply said, “ _Then he bought me because he liked my tattoo.  I was a decorating choice.”_

 

 When they finished, she stood up and made to leave.  The brass at Nova looked anxious.  

 

“ _Wait!_ ” Coulson called. _“Quill said we could send you a care package when they drop off Azul.  Is there anything you need?”_

 

 _A_ melia considered this, _“I would have said, music or books, but a friend build me an iPod from random scrap and managed to fill it with, like, eight million songs and a bunch of movies.  So I would expect he might be able to track down some ebooks for me at some point."_ She paused. _"I would like two, 100cm 2.25 mm Chiaogoo Red Lace knitting needles and one of every colour of heritage sock yarn that Cascade makes.  You should be able to vacuum pack that and it won’t take up too much space.  What?”_

 

Fitz had leaned into the frame.  _“Was that exactly eight million or were you rounding down?”_

 

_“Why?”_

 

_“Some one hacked our, well, Earth’s telecommunications satellites six days ago and accessed the bank records, the nuclear missile systems, government records, crawled around the whole internet in about five minutes.  What they TOOK though, was Tony Stark’s private media library.  The upload speeds they got were unheard of.  8,347,912 songs, and nearly a thousand videos in about 15 minutes.  Does that sound like your friend?”_

 

Amelia stared at him.  The she snorted, “ _Bullshit._ ” she said simply.

 

“ _Excuse me?_ ”

 

“ _No, Phil.  I don't think I will.  I am aware of who Tony Stark is and there is no fucking way I have his media library.  Not a chance.  No.  You are completely making that up.”_

 

_“How can you be so sure?”_

 

_“Porn.  Or rather lack of it.  I have 500+ summer blockbusters but not a single skin video.  There is no way Tony “dancing girls at all his events” Stark doesn’t have porn in his media library.  I hear the man has a stripper pole in his private jet, for crying out loud.  Look, if you want to send me a Kindle with my entire library on it, I would be happy to have it.  But I refuse to believe that I have Tony Stark’s music collection on my home made iPhone.”_

 

Jemma, crowded into the frame, “ _Why sock yarn?”_

 

_“I have my sock pattern memorized.  I would love to reknit my sweater collection, but then I need a bunch of needles and patterns and yarn in different weights.  Non knitters never get that right.  A couple of sock needles and a few skeins of good solid generic sock yarn shouldn't be hard for knitting muggles to source out.”_

 

_“But why knitting?”_

 

_“It keeps my hands busy.  It’s basically productive fidgeting.  Look the local Law enforcement is watching this interview and they seem to be getting concerned.  Anything else you need from me?”_

 

_“I think we are done for now.”_

 

Amelia switched to Common and turned to the Nova Officers watching her.  “Are there any other messages you want me to pass along?”  

 

There was a general indication of no.

 

“Can I please go get the broken bone in my hand fixed now?”  She asked holding it up.  The connection was still live and she heard a gasp from Jemma.  The swelling had settled in.  It was easily twice as big as her left one, the skin pulled tight and shiny, bruising covering half her hand and migrating up her forearm.

 

Majestic Hairdo woman, nodded to the screen, “Please indicate to them that we are providing you with medical care.”

 

“ _Boss lady here wants you to know that they are getting me medical treatment.  This looks gross just now, but will be good as new in a couple of hours.  This call interrupted the needle biopsy to get bone marrow.”_

 

_“What are they harvesting stem cells for?”_

 

_“My thyroid seems to have shorted out a little.  I can’t thermoregulate very well just now.  I wish I could get the standard lab panel done so that I would know what my numbers are, but they don’t actually do blood tests here.  They just have these scanners.  I think its like a mass spectrometer that somehow reads the serum still in your capillaries.  I don’t actually know how it works, but I can’t wait to learn enough of the local language to find out.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting early today.
> 
> Please feed the muse.


	32. Speaking of Ex-Husbands

Once Azul’s cell was loaded into The Milano’s cargo bay, Drax took a chair from the kitchen and went and sat in front of the box.  He was not happy but he said nothing.  Just sat there frowning slightly and watching the man.

 

Azul  blustered.  He called Drax names.  At the 15 minute mark, Azul started yelling, Drax remained impassive.  Eventually, the man ran out of steam and went and sat in a corner with his back to Drax.  Drax waited another hour to see if there was going to be anything else.  When there wasn’t he picked up his chair and returned to the kitchen.

 

“I find that man morally objectionable.” He announced.

 

Rocket snorted, “Yeah.  Among other things.  You missed dinner, there’s leftovers in the chill chest.”  

 

Drax went and got out the plate that had been assembled for him.  “Who did this?”

 

Rocket looked up from whatever he was working on.  “The plate?  Oh, that was Peter.”

 

“I will have to thank him.”

 

“You said you would call Amelia early than yesterday.  Tick tock buddy, time is running out.”

 

Drax hesitated, both because he needed to parse what Rocket was actually saying out of that statement and partly because it wasn't a call he was in a rush to make.

 

“Drax?”  Rocket asked hesitantly.  “Don’t tell her we have her phone, OK?  It’s in pretty rough shape and I don’t want to get her hopes up.”

 

“I am not going to lie to her!”

 

“No, but if she doesn’t bring it up, just don’t say anything… I mean just don’t be the one to tell her we have her phone.”

 

Rocket pulled up the call screen at the table and connected to Amelia’s phone.  

 

Drax startled.  “Wait! I was going to…”

 

The call connected.  Amelia beamed at them.  “Hi!”

 

Drax hesitated before replying. “Hello.”

 

Rocket looked at him and took over the conversation. “Hey!   You eye looks better!”

 

“Yes.  I found a Doctor who explains things.  She also is working to fix my insides.  Stuff to make my blood healthier and …. help me stay warm.”

 

Rocket tensed.  “I’m glad you are feeling better but doctors creep me out.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“That ‘cuz of the jerk off we got in the cargo bay?”

 

“What?”

 

This was the part Drax was not looking forward to.  “We have captured your husband and are going to return him to Terra.”

 

Amelia looked shocked as he said this, her eyes going wide.  Then she dropped her gaze and scrubbed her face with her hands.  “Please don’t call him that.  He is not my husband.  He lied to me the whole time we were together.  He…  Nothing we had.. Nothing I thought we had was real.”  Tears started leaking from the corners of her eyes.

 

Drax was watching this carefully.  He knew he needed tact to ask the next question.  He also knew he didn’t have enough.  He tried anyway.  Voice as carefully neutral as he could make it, under the circumstances, he asked, “If we are not to call him your husband, does that mean you are renouncing him as your mate?”

 

Amelia didn’t look at him.  “I don’t understand the word renouncing.”

 

Drax wasn’t sure how to explain that without leading her answer.

 

Rocket piped up, “You sayin’ you ain’t married?”

 

“I’m saying, as far as I am concerned we were never married.  The man I thought I married does not exist.”

 

Drax felt instantly better.  It lasted about five seconds before empathy kicked in.  She had not just lost her mate, she had learned that he never existed in the first place.  But surely, she had learned that months ago?  Hovat had died years ago and he still missed her.  He realized he did miss Hovat, but he no longer felt the deep mourning that he has once felt.

 

He had no idea what to say to comfort Amelia.  He went with, “I am sorry you had to go through that.”

 

She looked up at that and gave him a tiny smile.  “Sorry is a complicated word for Terrans.  Some of us use it to express regret.  Others use it only to accept responsibility.  Sometimes pointing this out is a nice way to change the subject of discussion.”

 

She took a deep breath, “I spoke to people on Terra today.  They know you are coming.  I told them not to shoot at you.  They told me an interesting story about someone taking music and vids from Terra a few days back.  Would you know anything about that, Rocket?’

 

“I had to get the content somewhere.”

 

“So… could you get other content for me?”

 

“Sure!  What do you need?”

 

“I’ll think about it and let you know.  What I don’t understand is that what they said you took doesn’t match what I have.”

 

“Well, I didn’t give you everything.  There was a lot of crap I didn't think you would want.”

 

“OK.  If it is the crap I think it is, you are likely correct.”

 

Drax was now curious.  “There are data files of Terran excrement?”

 

Rocket laughed so hard he fell off his chair.

 

Amelia blushed, “There are likely vids of Terran sex.”

 

“Really.”  Drax perked up at that.

 

Amelia noticed.  “Um… the thing about Terran sex vids, is that they are mostly a lie.  They don’t show… They simulate things that are fantasy for Terran males and use … tricks to show … “  She growled slightly in frustration.  “I do not have enough words!  If you decide to watch them, just assume they are incorrect, alright?  You can ask me about what you see, but mostly it is not real.  Just for fun to watch.  Don’t go trying any of that with me unless you talk to me about it first.”

 

“Now I am very curious.”

 

“It aint that exciting.  Mostly just bald bodies sticking their parts into each other.  After the first four or five vids they stop evening being creative and just become predictable.”

 

“Can we talk about something else?  Please?”

 

“Ah!” realization dawned for Drax.  “Gamora said your species was uncomfortable talking about sex.”

 

Amelia considered this.  “Yup.  Pretty much.  Our… reproductive cycle is short.  The ability to control our fertility is fairly new.  Culturally, we are fairly awkward about sex.  I doubt most Terrans would be happy having this conversation.”

 

“I have made you unhappy many times over the course of this conversation.  I regret that.”

 

“I’m OK.  It’s been a long day and I am tired and more crabby than I have a right to be.”

 

“You are allowed to be crabby.  I wish I was there to comfort you.”

 

“Me too.  What happened to Rocket?”

 

“I’m still here.”

 

“So, you and Drax take my advice and snuggle up last night?”

 

“Yeah.  He’s not as nice as you are.  And he snores louder.”

 

“Of course I snore louder, I am larger than she is.”

 

Amelia and Rocket shared a look.

 

“How’s Groot?”

 

Rocket snickered, clearly looking forward to his response, “He is Groot.”

 

Amelia gave a half smile at that.

 


	33. Rocket’s Repairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was reviewing my posts and realized I missed a chapter. So, if you go back and read Chapter 19 - Kindness, It will explain a few things I used later.

The thing was, Drax had grown used to sleeping with Amelia.  She was small and slept huddled around herself.  It was easy to just grab her, swing her across his body and position her as the little spoon, as she called it.  After so many weeks he barely had to wake to manage it.  When he had nightmares or when she made those little crying noises in her sleep, he would just reposition her and they would both be comforted.

 

Rocket was small and huddled and making little crying noises.  Drax was not awake as he grabbed Rocket to pull him close.  Rocket was not away as he sunk his teeth into Drax’s arm.  Once they were both awake, all was forgiven.  They agreed that it would be better to wait until Amelia was there as a buffer before they shared a bed again.

 

By the time Drax managed to clean and dress the wound on his arm it was close enough to morning that he might as well start making breakfast.  He gathered the things he would need.  Then he hesitated.  “I suppose I will have to cook for the prisoner as well.”

 

“Nope.  I got it covered,” said Rocket, with a nasty grin.  “I bought a bag of kibble before we left Xandar.”

 

After breakfast Rocket took a bowl of kibble and poured it through the feeding slot in the cage.  Then he went to his work room and started carefully taking apart Amelia’s phone.  He knew from past experience that it had long term storage memory in two places.   The chips themselves did not appear to be damaged, but visual inspection wasn’t proof of data integrity.  

 

He dug out the wiring harness he had used last time and connected the larger memory chip.  It worked.

 

There was a 300+ page book, and a journal.  They were in Terran and he couldn’t read it.

 

There were a lot of pictures of Amelia with various other Terrans.

 

There were vids.

 

One was Amelia talking to some one off camera as she reduced a dislocated shoulder.

 

One was Amelia singing to a little boy as she stitched up a cut in the boy’s cheek.  Her stitches were tiny and even.

 

One was her reading a story to a little girl in a hospital bed.

 

One was her talking to someone about venipuncture.

 

Three where of her drinking, laughing and dancing with other women.

 

One was quite long.  It was the only one where she was wearing a long dress. It appeared to be of her marrying the prisoner.

 

Rocket hesitated.  Then he deleted that vid.

 

Groot objected.

 

“It was damaged,” he lied.

 

So was the one of her laughing and picking out tiny shoes.

 

The final count was 4 standard hours of Amelia being happy with family and friends and 2.3 standard hours of Amelia talking about primitive health care stuff.

 

The music collection was much smaller than he expected.

 

He unhooked everything and set it aside.

 

Time for lunch.

 

Gamora was cooking.  Drax was back staring at the prisoner.

 

Rocket didn’t say anything, but he patted his friend’s arm and nodded toward the kitchen.

 

“You going to be OK?” Rocket asked, once they were out of earshot.

 

“I will feel better once he is no longer our problem.  I would feel even better if he were no longer breathing.  It is strange housing the man who harmed my mate and so much worse that he did that harm while he while he led her to believe he cared for her."

 

Rocket considered this for a moment before replying. "So that thing about renouncing him last night was a big deal?"

 

"It was culturally very significant for my people.  I will have to ask Quill how renouncing a mate works on her planet."

 

"Why are we talking about divorce?"  Peter asked coming into the kitchen. "You and Amelia having a fight or something?"

 

It was Gamora who answered, “It would appear  Amelia doesn't want to have anything to do with the man in the cargo bay."

 

Rocket spoke next, "What she said was that since he had lied about who he was to her the whole time they were together, she didn't think it counted as a marriage."

 

Peter considered this. "Well, she kinda has a point."

 

"Is that all it takes to dissolve their marriage?" Drax asked. 

 

Peter thought about this. "It's not like she can file for divorce.  Plus I kinda think the 'til death do us part' thing kicked in when Terra said she died in a car accident.  You could talk to Xandar and see what they say."

 

Drax's reply was immediate, "I don't care what Xandar thinks. I am trying to understand what Amelia is thinking.  I want to know if there is anything she needs to help her."

 

"Any luck getting those pictures for her, Rocket?"  Peter asked. 

 

"I am Groot."

 

"I'm working on it!  Sheesh! Give me a few days will you."

 

"I... am Groot"

 

Rocket ignored that. 

 

Peter noticed. "Something going on?"

 

Rocket thought fast. "I bit Drax last night. I didn't mean to do that."

 

“It is fine.  The bleeding has stopped.  It will be healed by the time we get back to Xandar.”

 

Gamora looked concerned.  “Did you ever bite Amelia?”

 

Rocket looked guilty.  “She never grabbed me like that.”

 

Peter thought about Amelia scooping up Rocket for a hug when he gave her the music player.  He didn’t say anything.  It had to be different when you were sleeping, right?  Wait… “Why were you to sleeping together anyway?  Or should I just not ask?”

 

Drax looked at him, “When Amelia found out I slept on the floor of our room the first night we travelled to Cashel, she said that was silly and that Rocket and I should keep each over from being lonely.”

 

“You old lady gave you permission to go a key party without her, huh?” Peter smirked.

 

Drax and Rocket both stared blankly at him.

 

“Wait! You spoke to her after we left?  How?” Gamora wanted to know.

 

“Well, I did give her a PHONE.  What kind of loser would I be is I gave her a phone that didn’t work?”

 

“So we can call her?”

 

“Yeah.  What do you want to say?”

 

Gamora hesitated.  “I… don’t know.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“I think she already knows.” Peter replied automatically.

 

“I think she does too,” said Rocket.

 

Peter looked at him.  “What did the Jolly Green Giant say?”

 

“That we love her.”

 

They all went silent at that.

 


	34. Amelia’s Life is Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter begins the part of the story where Xandar misunderstands human biology

Amelia was having a kind of shit day. First day of training, she missed most of it due to broken hand then intergalactic phone calls.

Today was the second day of combat training. First day after getting the best health care Nova could buy and she was pretty sure she had PMS. Fuck. It would be her first cycle since before her pregnancy. 

There were some disadvantages to being perfectly healthy.

Training continued to be interesting. Knowing that there were doctors standing by and any damage you did to you opponent wasn’t going to be permanent kept people from pulling there punches. Amelia was one of the smaller fighters and she spent a disproportionate amount of time getting patched up.

She wasn’t happy about that. The only advantage is that her medical terminology vocabulary was growing in leaps and bounds. When she expressed an interest in learning to use the … tool that sealed wounds without sutures, Dr Kat suggested she sign up for emergency medical training in the afternoons.

Amelia asked who would be teaching it. 

Apparently, no one actually taught it. She would have assignments on a tablet then shadow Dr Kat. “I don’t speak Common well enough for that.” Amelia complained.

“You will be fine.” Kat explained, “The course is designed for low literacy skills and it will help you build your vocabulary. We have species we interact with whose brains don’t have the capacity to develop literacy at all, so there are work arounds in place for that.”

This meant her new schedule would be:

0600 - get up, do yoga, make breakfast for the Rhomann family  
0700 - have breakfast, wash up, get ready to leave  
0800 - leave for Nova Corp HQ  
0830 - start combat training  
1100 - team nutrition break  
1130 - more combat training  
1400 - lunch in the cafeteria  
1430 - start alien EMT training  
1800 - nutrition break  
1830 - more EMT training  
2000 - meet Dey and go back to his home  
2100 - evening meal  
2200 - free time  
2600 - lights out

As it worked out once she got the hang of using the dictionary on the tablet in the med bay she was using, she finished the first day’s course work in only 3 hours, just in time for afternoon nutrition break. Which was the perfect time to ask Kat for the next chapter.

Kat agreed to let Amelia work the course at double time as long as she passed the end of chapter tests. Amelia wasn't worried about that. They were multiple choice. She has used every minute of the allotted time because she had problems reading the questions, but she had gotten 97% correct.

Kat asked the question. “Why do you keep rubbing your belly? Are you injured?”

Amelia snorted, dug out the tablet and took her own picture. Then she brought up Terran anatomy and handed over the tablet with the reproductive cycle page active. 

Kat read it with her doctor face on. Which quickly changed to the “don’t scare the patient face.” She set the tablet down and considered her next words very carefully. “What do you need for us to be able to help with your heat cycle?”

Amelia didn’t understand what was being asked. When she finally did, she laughed. “It's ok. I have it covered.”

They ended up talking about PMS afternoon snacks. It was not a concept Kat was familiar with. Once Amelia explained it, Kat promptly misunderstood. 

“You are going to spend four days bleeding from your reproductive organs but “it's ok, you have it covered” ? Most species just absorb the products of non-conception.”

Amelia just shrugged. “What can you do?”

\---

She was just finishing her second course when Dey came to get her. She was exhausted both mentally and physically and had a hard time not falling asleep on the tram ride back to Dey’s house.

Rho was happy to see her. “Miel! Can I bring you for show and tell next week?”

Her mother was appalled.

Amelia just laughed. “I don’t know. I am busy learning things too.”

That night she tucked in early, slept hard and missed Drax’s call. She didn't know how to access voicemail. She didn’t know she had voicemail.

She dreamt of him that night. The texture of his skin. The warmth of his arms. The way his hands felt rubbing her back that day at the spa. They way his tongue felt between her legs. She woke in the night with lust flowing through her veins. Her body wet and singing.

It was her first wet dream in years.

It was quickly followed by the first time she had masturbated since leaving Earth.

Afterwards she lay in bed thinking about that. As an adult, she had always classified masturbation as self care. It was taking care of a biological need right up there with making sure she ate properly, that she excised, drinking water, or brushing and flossing. It was just something adults did to take care of their body.

What did it mean that she had stopped? Ok, so with owner the first, she was always to afraid or hurt. At the zoo, there had been no privacy and she wasn’t keen on having a bunch of strangers watching, likewise during all those weeks she had been at the slave market before Drax bought her.

But Drax had given her space. She could have spent a little extra time in the shower or bathroom on the ship. She hadn’t. Even when she had spend an afternoon hiding in the cargo bay wondering if they were physiologically compatible… she wanted to but had just ignored it. What had changed?

Argh! It was the wee hours of the morning. Don’t think so much! Chalk it up to a side effect of the hormone cocktail involved with a massive medical rewrite of her endocrine system and go back to sleep!

And she did.

—-

Rocket, meanwhile, spend his afternoon watching videos of Amelia being happy. It was like a drug. He remembered her as the beaten, trembling thing Drax had brought home. The Amelia in the pictures and videos was nothing like that. She was fearless. She was happy. He couldn’t understand the words, but he recognized that what ever had happened to her after she left Terra hadn’t changed the kindness he saw in the videos.

Where torture and abuse had made him bitter and hard, it hadn’t changed her compassion. He watched her carrying a small Terran on her back as she had carried him. In the video she was strong. He hadn’t thought about that. Now she was frail. What had it cost her that day to carry around his extra weight?

Suddenly he understood why she had wanted a massage at the bath that day. 

He watched the next video.

"I am Groot."

"Yeah, so what's that got to do with anything? She belongs to Drax. I only get invited to sleep overs out of pity and I'm so damn pathetic that I'll still take it. She ain't gonna want me pawing her. We ain't even close to the same species. I don't find her attractive, not sexually anyway. But when she started talking bout running her hands through my fur, it didn’t sound completely horrible.”

"I am Groot."

"I can't tell her. Not after what Gamora said. She already called second and I don't wanna completely freak Amelia out. Fuck, it’s bad enough Gamora wanting to watch. What am I gonna say? 'Hey, sweetheart, wanna pet me?' That sounds fucking horrible!”

"I am Groot."

"No! I don't want you to talk to her for me."

At dinner, Rocket went and got Drax from where he was staring at the prisoner again. He waited until they where up the stairs. "You got stop doing that. It can't be good for you."

"You know," said Gamora, "if you called her now we could all have dinner together."

Drax tried. There was no answer. "This is the earliest I have tried calling. She might still be in combat training."

"She's taking combat training?" Gamora asked. 

"Yes," said Drax. "I thought you had requested it."

"I did. I just didn't expect her to actually do it.”


	35. Translation Services

Training was training.  She once again felt like she needed a nap afterwards but instead went to the med bay to continue on with the EMT-like course.

 

None of the concepts were new.  It was just learning new terminology and new tools.  Spending five hours studying hard and the rest of her waking time having to talk to people increased her vocabulary quickly.  At one point, Kat commented on that.

 

Amelia shrugged.  “I already spoke six languages when I left Terra.  One more is…  just stretching my brain a little further.”

 

“What did you do before… you left?”

 

It was the first time anyone had actually asked that.  “I was licensed as a medical diagnostic tech, an EMT and I almost had my doctorate in Health Sciences.  Mostly, I was medical support in war torn countries with a group of doctors who work in those places.”

 

“But not a Doctor?”

 

Amelia snorted, “No.  I didn't have a great _bedside manner…_ I wasn’t good with patients for more than a few moments at a time.  I kept wanting to tell them they were being stupid.  I saw so many self inflicted injuries where I wanted to ask what they were thinking.  Plus I liked the problem solving and science involved in the other not doctor jobs.  Doctors, well, good doctors have to be more,  “she struggled for the word, ”diplomatic than I can be.   You have to be able to go up to that bitch that slapped your colleague and talk her into letting you treat her.  I couldn’t do that.”

 

She had met with Dey and was just leaving the building for the day when someone ran up and announced she was needed in Comms. Dey hesitated. Amelia asked, "Am I allowed to ride the tram alone?  I know which stop to take and it isn't as though I would be out in the dark."

 

"All right, but call me before you leave so I know when to expect you.

 

Amelia follow the officer through the  maze of the building to the room with the Earth to Xandar device.   Jemma was waiting for her. 

 

"H _ow is your hand?" She asked._

 

_"All better!  They have some sort of surgical cement they inject into breaks that has them basically healed over night.  They also have laser sutures. The technology here is like my wildest dreams come true."_

 

_"Can they regrow limbs?"_

 

_"I don't know. I haven't read that far in the EMT course I'm taking.  Why do you ask?"_

 

_"Phil ... that is, Director Coulson lost his hand a few weeks ago. We are trying out different prosthesis but... they aren't as functional as we would like."_

 

_"Hmm... is that why you called?"_

 

_"No. I called to talk yarn."_

 

_"You placed an interstellar phone call for to talk about Yarn?"_

 

_"You called me a knitting muggle!  I happen to be very proud of my research skills. So I hacked your Ravelry account and now I want to know how big of a box can I send and which sweaters are you favourites?"_

 

Amelia was speechless. _"Are you serious?"_

 

_"Completely."_

 

_"I haven't seen regrown limbs but they do have a neural interface that is unlike anything I have seen on Earth."_

 

_"Could you get me specs?"_

 

Amelia snorted, " _Not in English.  What are you going to do with Azul once you have him?"_

 

_"We want to know about his involvement with a terrorist organization called HYDRA."_

 

_"What, like in World War Two?"_

 

_"Sadly."_

 

_"Shit, Jemma, I can tell you that!  The local equivalent of Wikipedia says that  Red Skull had an Asgardian weapon that teleported its victims across space where they became the part of the Army of Thanos.  Thanos is locally famous for trying to get energy stones to conquer the galaxy.  The planet I’m currently on was almost destroyed a while back by an energy stone that kills anything organic it comes into contact with.  It also sounds like the kind of thing that was used to open the portal over New York.  If Thanos is collecting energy stones, I would be willing to wager half a dollar that whatever HYDRA was sending into space had something to do with that.”_

 

_"Can I call you back?"_

 

_"All right.  When?"_

 

_"A few minutes, I hope."_

 

She turned to the Corpsman standing by. "Can you call The Milano?  I would like to speak to Drax."

 

"Why don't you just call?"

 

"They asked me not to be the one to call until Azul is left on Terra.”

 

“If they asked you not to call, then you shouldn’t call.”

 

“Can I send them a message?”

 

The Corpsman grudgingly set up a device and let her record a message.  She said hi to everyone.  Told Drax training was going good.  That she hoped he and Gamora would be proud of what she was learning.  She told Peter that she was waiting on watching the Earth movies until he could join in.  She told Groot how weird it was to be staying on a planet where the sun never set.

 

“Rocket, the guy who is asking for the prisoner.  I haven’t met him, but he has excellent references.  I know it’s a long shot, but you are amazing.  Do you think you have enough spare parts to make him a cybernetic left hand and part of his forearm?

 

“I’m sorry I can’t talk to you all live, but I am at the Nova HQ late tonight and I can’t use the iPhone in the building, for some reason.  I’m talking to Terra about that magic trick Peter said you used to save Xandar last year.  I’m not sure how long I’ll be.

 

“They want to know how much stuff they can send me.  I know this isn't a cargo mission.   I only asked for a bag of Terra things but it sounds like they are getting keen.

 

"I haven't heard yet. Did anyone find my phone?  I really need to talk to you before you get to Terra. 

 

“I guess I should go now.  The Corpsman who is watching me looks upset.  Be safe.  I hope to talk to you soon.”

 

Amelia didn't actually make it back to Dey’s home that night.  She ending up translating between Nova Prime and Coulson for hours.  By the time they were done, she was just sent to the guest quarters like the ones she had briefly visited with Drax.

 

—

 

On the Milano, Rocket was getting freaked out by the way Drax spent all day staring down the prisoner.  They were all going stir crazy.  Groot suggested they get Peter to teach them some Terran. 

 

"Come on, two days left and he'll be someone else's problem.  Don't ya wanna be able to say something nice to Amelia when we get back?"

 

In the end, everyone was bored and Peter found himself being grilled on all aspects of Earth culture.  Previously, he would have just made stuff up, but he didn't want to do that with Amelia as the fact checker. 

 

Drax was trying really hard to learn the phases Peter was teaching him. For some reason, Quill kept getting him to say, " _I'll be back."_ Then laughing. Drax understood that it was important that Amelia know that he would return for her but felt he was being made fun of. It did not help his mood at all. 

 

Part of the problem was that when Quill asked him what he wanted to learn to say.  Drax didn't know.  He could recite her poetry in his native language, but he wasn’t certain how to translate that.

 

One more day, the could dump the prisoner on Terra and he could go get his girl.  “Can’t this ship go any faster?”  He demanded.

 

They all looked at him.  It was Gamora who spoke.  “We are doing a seven day run in five days.  This is going faster.  Have you tried calling her again?”

 

“Yes!  Her phone is no longer working!”

 

Rocket was shocked.  “What!?  I built that thing to survive a ship crash.  It should be indestructible!”

 

That was not a comforting thought.

 

The called Xandar and were told that she was in training and could not be interrupted.  The Millennial who answered the call assured them that the message would be relayed and that Amelia could call them when ever she wished.

 

Rocket went back to his work room.  Drax went to work out in the cargo bay.

 

After he broke the target he was using for knife practice, he had a shower and sat on the floor of his room with Amelia’s pillow.   Smell was important.

 

After supper, he called Dey’s home.

 

“She stayed at HQ to help with something to do with Terra.  I’m not sure what time she’ll be back.  I promise to tell her you want to talk to her next time I see her.”

 

Drax roared and punched the wall. 

 

“Hey!  Watch the ship!”  Peter ran over and buffed the wall with his sleeve.  “I think you dented it!” he groused.  “ _Fuck_!  We gotta get her back!  You are way less grumpy when you are getting laid!”

 


	36. Citizenship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things start to go wrong for Amelia. Plus she drags an unsuspecting member of Nova Corp to a sex shop.

Amelia woke in the guest quarters alone and disoriented.  When she finally found the clock she panicked.  It was already 0913 and she was late for training.  She got dressed in yesterdays clothes and bolted out the door.

 

There were three Corpsmen in the hallway she ignored them as she sprinted for the elevator.

 

“Hey!  Wait!” one called.

 

“I can’t I’m late!”

 

The caught up to her at the elevators.  “What are you doing, Green?”

 

“I’m late for training!”

 

“No.  You aren’t going to training yet.  Breakfast first in the cafeteria.  Someone is bringing your things from Denarian  Dey’s house.  You can join training after the nutrition break.”

 

That gave her pause.  “Where… where you waiting in the hallway for me?”

 

“Of course!  We weren’t going to wait in your room!”

 

Amelia felt a rising sense of panic.  “Why were you waiting for me?”

 

“You speak six Terran languages.  Nova Prime doesn’t want anything to happen to you.”

 

Amelia felt vaguely sick.  “Drax left me with Dey.”

 

“Doesn’t matter.  You became a Xandarian Citizen last night.”

 

“So… Nova Prime owns me now?”

 

“No!  No one owns you!  You are a citizen!”

 

“Does that mean I can continue to stay with Dey?”

 

“Umm… you have a body guard.  That might not work so well.”

 

The elevator had reached the cafeteria.  The smell of food hit her. Her stomach rumbled. She sighed.  “I don’t have any money to buy food.  Drax was paying for everything.”

 

“It’s OK. Pick want you want and they will just deduct it from your first pay check.”

 

Amelia considered how to say I don’t want to be in debt to Nova Corp.  What she settled with was, “It is against my cultural beliefs to spend money before I earn it.”

 

The three of them exchanged a slightly panicky look.  “Are you going to just not eat?”

 

“I need to call Star Lord and ask for advice.”

 

One of them got started typing a message on his forearm device.  “Let’s go see Denarian Dey.”

 

Dey was very uncomfortable with the whole thing.  It came as a surprise when Corpsmen had shown up at his house at breakfast to collect Amelia’s things.  He was told that the Medical Corp were worried she had an excessive dependance on the Guardians and there for Nova was blocking her calls to them until she was more settled in.

 

They had allowed him to listen in on the message she had recorded for the Milano.  He was told it would not be sent.  He objected and was allowed to send the of the message part asking Rocket about sending a hand prosthesis to Terra.

 

He was also ordered to assist in her transition to Citizen in any way he could.  He didn’t want any part of this.  He had no idea what to say if she was going to hunger strike.  “Drax gave me money to make  sure you were safe” would likely get him a disciplinary hearing at this point. 

 

Amelia gave him a sad smile.  “I will need to contact Drax and find out how much I owe him for food, clothes and to cover my purchase price. Then I will need to find a job and put together a plan to repay him and the others.”

 

They all stared at her.  “You have a job. You work for Nova.”

 

“Doing what?”

 

“Amelia!  You speak six Terran languages.  You started earning money the moment you entered Comms last night.  Let’s go get something to eat.  I’ll try to help you understand how money works on Xandar.”

 

One of the Corpsman coughed.  “Denarian Dey, with respect.  Amelia was her slave name.  We have been instructed to call her by her Terran name, Green.  Karen Green”

 

Amelia looked sick.

 

Dey had explained that money was all electronic.  She could get anything she wanted and the amount would just be adjusted to her balance.  He gave her a wrist band.  “This isn't your money.  But it will tell you how much you have and you will have.  It can also give you directions to where you need to go.”

 

She looked at it for a long time.  It felt too much like Lojack.  She didn’t like how this was going.  She apparently already had a starting amount of more than 10,000 units.  That didn't seem right either.

 

She was still in the cafeteria when her training group paused to have nutrition break together.  She went over to join them.  Without her saying anything, they all  congratulated her on becoming a Citizen.

 

She remembered Peter saying that if that happened Xandar wouldn’t want her spending time with the team.  She went to the second half of training and worked really hard.  At the end, her wrist band vibrated. She checked her balance and now had 11,200 units.

 

Lunch was 30 units.

 

Two chapters of the EMT program earned her 800 units.

 

“Kat? Why does learning give me so many units?”

 

“Well, you are acquiring skills that will benefit society.  Most students earn 400 units a day.  It covers food and rent.  You did two and a half days of work, so you get two and a half days of income.”

 

“Don’t I have to pay to learn?”

 

“What?  That is ridiculous!  Why would you have to pay to how to do your job?  We want you to do a job, so we will pay you to make sure you can do it correctly.”

 

Amelia didn't even know how to respond to that one.  On the job training.  OK.  “Can I go out to spend my money?” 

 

“Sure, just take your assistant.” Kat said, gesturing to the Corpsman waiting at the door.

 

“Can you tell me where I go to get female things?”

 

Kat gave her directions to a specialty store across town.  “They have all kinds of Terran things.  Your people have a really short fertility cycle, so all the best sex toys come from Terra.  They should have whatever you need.  Buy birth control.  I mean it.  Even if you don’t think you need it.  Buy some anyway.”

 

Amelia considered this.  “How could I get pregnant?  There aren't any other Terran around, you are all different species from me.  Actually, how did I get pregnant by Azul?  He’s a different species.  Was that actually me just hosting a parasitic method of reproduction?”

 

Kat tried not to laugh and coughed instead.  “No.  Well, all fetuses match the definition of parasite.  Kree have been manipulating your species’ DNA occasionally for hundreds of years, to the point where you are now biologically compatible.  There are even stories that King Laufey of the Joten had a son by a Terran woman during the great ice war.  However, that may just be Asgardian propaganda.”

 

“What happens if I get pregnant by Drax?”

 

Kat looked firmly at her, holding eye contact, “You either miscarry, terminate the pregnancy, or you die.  The females of his species are larger than the males.  Babes are born 15 - 18 kg.  There is no way for your body to carry that.  You birth a 4 kg baby by him, it would be to premature to live.  Don’t get creative.  Don’t muck about with this.  You will die.”

 

“If my first pregnancy hadn't been terminated, would I have been able to carry that baby?”

 

Kat hesitated  “Green, I just don’t know.  Maybe?  There have been documented cases of cross breeding, but… it’s risky.  If you both had highly compatible DNA and you had excellent prenatal care and nutrition and if everything had gone exactly right, sure.  But there are so many little, uncontrollable things.  It would have been the most high risk pregnancy your doctor ever worked on.”

 

She had supper first.  Her guard was named Tal.  He seemed nice enough but was completely embarrassed to be taking her to “The Terra Store.” 

 

Looking around the store was really interesting.  It was basically an adult toy shop.  Suddenly, Amelia understood why an adorkable guy like Peter swaggered like he had game.  If the locals associated Terrans with sex, he likely did. The store only stocked the high end stuff. Nothing with skanky looking packaging.  Nothing where she would be worried about the composition. Nothing marked “Novelty Use,” which in health care translates as “Please help me retrieve the part that broke off this toy out of the orifice where I inserted it”

 

They even had Hex condoms!  She squealed with delight and bought a industrial sized box just on general principles.  Way in the back there was a small section of cups and cloth pads.  She asked the purple skinned sales attendant if they had any disposables.

 

“No!  Do you know how hard those are on waste recycling?  People buy these as a joke item because they see them in some of the 2Ds that get smuggled out of Terra.”

 

She also asked about more long term methods of birth control.  For 100 U she could by four nanobots that would block her fallopian tubes, then swim out when she wanted.  So for her physiology, she would have two uses out of the one box.  They were controlled by a tablet app. They were an over the counter product, stocked next to the wall of pregnancy tests, with many different kinds for many different species.

 

Amelia bought the nanobots too.  Other than that, the buying power of a unit was fairly close to the same as a dollar back home.  Amelia had learned to track currency by buying power rather than exchange.  A British Pound may be worth a couple of dollars, but when you are actually spending them, they were pretty close for a lot of purchases.  How do you ship items across the galaxy and not put the price up?  That didn’t make sense.  When she asked, she was told it was because they were Terran designs but locally manufactured.

 

As she was standing in line to pay she over heard the customer a head of her asking about the quardrex conversion kit. Interesting, they were technicaly all what Earth would consider illegal knock offs, but they were likely better made than the originals. 

 

When they left, the satchel Drax had bought her was full.  Tal, who had carefully keep his eyes front the whole time they were in the store was relieved to be out of there.  But was still anxious to get back on the tram.  Amelia paused to look around and give him a chance to adjust where his pants seemed to be too tight.

 

She could see the small space port where the Milano had docked from here.  There were currently 10 ships all Milano sized or there abouts.  It looked like only a couple of blocks from the store.  She asked about that.

 

“It’s so that they can pretend they get the merchandise off the ships.  This is a very specialized market.” Tal said.

 

Instead of getting on the tram, Amelia bought street food for herself and Tal, to thank him for helping her shop.  She was surprised that he blushed slight blue.  

 

She asked about public toilets and he directed her to a very nice one that was vaguely mid century modern.  Her phone didn't work here either.  She tried to leave another message.

 

“I’m not sure if you are getting these, but I really need to talk to you as soon as possible.  Please call me.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, don't buy novelty sex toys. Just trust me on this.
> 
> Which is not to say don't buy sex toys. If you don't know how to take matters into your own hands, as it were, how will you know how to ask for what you need from someone else?


	37. The Delivery

The Milano was on its last day in space before Terra when they received the very short message from Amelia. They all watched it. It was Gamora who said, “That was obviously altered.” They considered what to do. The contacted Dey.

Drax led with “I demand to speak to Amelia!”

Dey sighed. “She became a Citizen last night Drax. I can’t let you call her and I can’t make her call you.”

The team was taken aback. “What!?”

“Nova Prime needed a resident translator for dealing with Terra, and Amelia told her Doctor she speaks six Terran languages.”

Rocket tried to stay on point, “What about this message about giving away hands?”

“I wasn't there when she recorded it, but I believe it is accurate. Also, Terra is sending her some things. She seemed quite excited that they were coming. Maybe she will show you her apartment when you get here.”

When they hung up, Drax was very upset.

Rocket was surprisingly calm. “Do you really believe that she would just dump us with no explanation? We talked to her like three days ago and she was happy to hear from us! Nova wants a translator. That doesn’t work if she runs off with us. So we drop this guy on Terra. We get the care package and we steal her back when we go to deliver it.”

“You believe they are holding her against her will?”

“Maybe. Let’s finish the job and go find out.”

Rocket spent the rest of the day building an interface to go with the prosthetic hand they took off Azul. It was a right, Amelia needed a left. It only took a little re-engineering to correct that.

They met Coulson and crew that night out side a tiny town in New Mexico. There was a bifrost mark at the meeting site. It was a stern reminder that they were on Terra against Asgardian advisement.

Fitz was delighted with the hand and the neural interface. Peter’s ability to translate was stretched to it limit. Jemma kept staring at Rocket.

“What’s her problem?” He finally asked.

“She’s a scientist.” Peter replied.

Rocket bristled. “She can keep her hands to herself then.”

Rocket took everything out of the box Simmons had packed for Amelia. He did a thorough check for weapons and traps before he had Drax load it onto the ship. It looked like a bunch of string, some weird sticks and a primitive electronic book. “So this is _knitting_?” He asked.

Jemma recognized the one English word in the sentence. “ _Yes! Knitting for Karen! I checked out her work online, she is really talented!”_

“What did monkey girl say?”

“She says Drax’s girl is really good at the knitting thing.”

“She the one that got all this stuff?” Rocket asked.

Peter translated. “Yes.”

Rocket looked thoughtful. “Have them wait here.” He ran back onto the ship and came back with his tools and a box of parts.

“Have ‘em gimme their phones. The science monkeys may wanna watch this.”

Starting with Jemma’s he cracked open their phones and upgraded the batteries. “There you go. Three or four Terran years between charges. Thanks for getting the knitting stuff. I’m adding me to your contacts so that you can call if you need help. Same thing for any of you.”

Peter translated. Fitz watched eagerly.

“You’re gonna need to work on that hand more to get it to work on a Terran but you should have a good start there.” Rocket said. “Peter, make sure to tell ‘em to kill Azul as soon as they can. As slowly as they can.”

Peter translated this as, _“We don’t want that bastard getting out when you are done with him.”_

Phil nodded at Drax who was standing near the ramp to the Milano’s Cargo Bay, _“What’s with Mr. Strong Silent Type over there.”_

_“He’s pissed that he had to leave his girlfriend behind to run this errand.”_

_“He has a girlfriend?”_ Fitz asked.

_“Yeah. She something special. We are all jealous. But she’s over the moon for him.”_

_“What does she look like?”_

_“You’d be surprised.”_

The Guardians demonstrated the cells’s ability to be piloted remotely, then loaded it on to the waiting truck. There were a round of hand shakes. Thank you's were exchanged. Drax came over and hugged Jemma, then stormed back to the ship.

 

 _“That seemed … odd._ ” She said.

 

Peter considered how to answer that. “ _Yes, yes it did._ ”

 

Once they were clear of the system, they contacted Xandar to let them know the drop off had been successful. They requested to speak to Amelia and were assured that she was too busy to talk to them just now.

When the call ended the Communications Officer turned to his supervisor and said, “That is Drax the Destroyer and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Are we sure it is the best idea to have kidnapped their friend?”

He was sternly reprimanded. “We have NOT kidnapped their friend. We have given Citizenship to their slave and, on her Doctor’s advisement, we are limiting access to things that have caused her distress in the past.”

The Comm’s officer didn’t actually reply, but what he thought was, “Fuck, I hope they see it that way.”

Meanwhile, back on the Milano, Rocket started rebuilding Amelia’s phone. He knew the small chip usually had limited data on it. Mostly just for location purposes, but he hooked it up to run diagnostics on it anyway.

Building he a new phone would be fine, but if he transferred the data to a tablet, that would be more useful. He had enough parts kicking around do to that. She would be happy to have it once they got to Xandar. Rocket wasn’t as confident as he seemed the she would want to go with them. But if they met her and she was all happy and set up, that was fine. If it was not her choice, well, he has escaped from prison twenty three times. This wouldn’t be that hard.

Once he has tidied his work space, he left the diagnostics program running and went to get Drax. “Come on. Bed time. Bring her pillow. You’re gonna need her smell after today.”

And so they all snuggled into Rocket’s bunk. Rocket agains the wall and Drax against the edge, with Amelia’s pillow tucked between them and Groot guarding the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next update as soon as the wifi stabilizes


	38. Like MST3K but with Porn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not explicit

Rocket woke to the smell of sticky buns. Drax was spooning both Amelia’s Pillow and him. “Get off of me!”

Drax staggered out of the bed and headed back to his own room. He was back five seconds later to get The Pillow. Rocket told himself he didn’t care. Thing didn't smell like her anymore.

It turned out Groot made sticky buns.

“I didn't know you baked!”

“I am Groot!”

“Yeah, yah, no throwing food. I got it.”

He had eaten most of one before Peter and Gamora turned up. He added a second to his plate before they sat down.

“I am Groot.”

“There are plenty left for Drax. I just want another corner one.”

By the time Drax got there, most of the pan had been eaten. Rocket was going to make a joke about him needing extra time in the shower, but as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Groot glared at him and he shut it again.

“I shoulda asked Phil for cinnamon.” Peter said. “She was right. These are great but they are missing something.” He paused to take another bite. “What’s on the to do list for today?’

“Drax had asked to watch some Terra 2Ds.”

“I am still not giving him my porn collection!”

“Fine! I got my own!” Rocket snapped.

They all stared at him.

“I am Groot?”

“I took it off some guy when I hacked Terra to get music for Amelia. He had a lot and it ain’t like I TOOK it… I just copied it. He didn’t actually lose anything. He just…. shared….sorta.”

There are jobs that need to be done to keep a ship flying. They took most of the morning. Rocket checked in on the components from Amelia phone. The second chip had passed its diagnostic check last night. Some subroutine on the… what was it labeled? 10TBMicroSD had spent all night repeatedly accessing the files on the internal memory. That was a little odd, but nothing to worry about. Even if her phone had malware, he had back ups of her files now. Plus the thing was contained to the original chips, it was likely just some internal diagnostic program he had accidentally triggered. It was probably looking for the rest of the phone. Hardware = almost zero would give any diagnostic program some grief.

Lunch became random snack foods as they all parked themselves in the common room. Drax had some concerns, “I do not speak Terran. What is the point of watching these if I can’t follow the plot?”

Peter and Rocket both laughed. “I think you are giving them too much credit. Don’t expect a plot.”

Porn the first:

They watched for a few minutes when Drax interrupted. “Ah! I see this is the villain! His is treating the female with much disrespect! How long until the hero rescues her?”

“Um… That is the hero.”

“But he pushed her!”

“Yes… just ignore that part.”

“Peter Quill! Your hero has just STRUCK the female! He is no hero!”

“Sometimes they do that in porn.”

They watched in silence for a few minutes

Drax: She is clearly not enjoying this. Why are we continuing to watch?

Peter: She seems to like it just fine to me.

Gamora: No, Drax is right -

Drax: I am correct in all things!

Gamora, ignoring him: - her body is arching in the wrong direction. This is clearly not as pleasurable for her as they are pretending.

Drax: I understand! Amelia said this would be a lie.

Rocket: Well, the male is enjoying this. That seemed real for him. Wanna try a different one?

Porn the second:

Drax: I do not wish to watch them restrain the female so that she can not defend herself.

Peter: It’s OK, she wasn’t going to defend herself anyway.

Gamore: I also must veto this one. The male is too hairy.

Rocket: Thanks.   
Porn the third:

Drax: This one doesn’t even have a male. Why would she desire to have sexual relations with a machine?

Gamora: Well, they can get a better view of her genitals this way

Peter: You are all just wrecking this you know.

Porn the fourth:

Drax: Veto! Veto! She should not have her mouth on his…

Peter: Argh!

Porn the fifth:

Peter: OK. Before we start this one, there are no females to be mistreated. Drax you are just going to have to accept that there are anatomical difference between your species and Terrans. Now, can we all just shut up and watch some god damn gay porn?

They all shut up and watched some gay porn.

Afterwards,

Drax: I can see that was mutually pleasurable. I do not object.

Peter: It’s about time

Gamora: It did nothing for me, and I never thought I would have to say this… Peter Quill don’t you dare ever spray me with your -

Peter: Moving On!

Porn the sixth:

Gamora: Let’s watch this one next. It has two females.

And a male it turned out. A few minutes later…

Gamora: This one isn’t too bad, at least the female is on top this time

Rocket: But her friend is just standing around watching

Gamora: I don’t have a problem with that, and look, she is getting lube

Drax: I don’t understand. The female does not have a prostate. Why would she want someone to stick fingers into her —

Peter, interrupting: AND you just ruined another one for me!

Porn the seventh:

Peter: Two females, no males, no robots. Shut up and watch!

They did.

Drax: I can’t believe she got her whole hand into -

Gamora: Females are stretchy, but that is more of a novelty thing. Don’t go trying it on Amelia

Drax: Of course not! My hands are too big. Yours are much smaller.

At this point movie day was called on account of Gamora dragging Peter back to his room.

Rocket: I guess it’s time to go make some supper.

“I am Groot.”

“You and me both buddy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	39. Painting - Explicit

The door was barely closed and Gamora was already naked.  She pushed Peter to his knees.  “I need that filthy Terran mouth right now!” She demanded slinging her leg over his shoulder.  

 

He looked up at her.  Her pupils were blown and body was dripping. “Just like that, huh?” he said.

 

She slapped his cheek, pulling the blow so that it stung but caused no real damage.  “Sometimes that’s just how porn goes.  Now, Peter.”

 

He leaned in and gently licked her.

 

She whined. “Harder!”

 

He complied.  Lick, lick, suck was all it took and her body shuddered and arched and she moaned as her legs quivered.  She grabbed his hair and pulled his head back, then leaned forward and forced herself to make eye contacted.

 

Peter licked his lips.  “So… you wanna see if I can fit my whole hand in there?” he asked with a grin.

 

“Oh gods, yes.”

 

“Here we go.”

 

He started with two fingers finding her g-spot with a practiced ease.  She shuddered and bucked against his face.  He waited for her to stop fluttering around his fingers and put his other hand against the small of her back to give her a little support.  

 

As the gasping slowed and her body relaxed, he added another finger giving his hand a twist before pumping it in and out a couple of times.

 

She whimpered.

 

He cupped his fingers and pressed them hard against her front wall as he slid his hand in and out and leaned forward to lap against her clit.  She tasted more sweet now.

 

There was a little gush as she came again.

 

“You still ok to stand?”

 

“More!  More! Now!”

 

His little finger was a bit more of a squeeze.  She gasped as it slid in, and came again.  This time she fell forward and wrapped her arms around his head.

 

“Need to stop?” He asked.

 

“Don’t you dare!”

 

He fluttered all four fingers separately, trying to make a little extra room.

 

“I’m not sure you can take my thumb.”

 

“Just don’t stop!  Please!”

 

Gamora never begged.

 

He kept scissoring his fingers.  Feeling her clench around them, he knew this wasn’t going any further.  Still, he could wait for her to figure that out.

 

She came with a cry and collapsed against him.

 

He took her weight as they fell to the floor.  She lay panting on his chest and whimpered a little as he slowly removed his hand.  He licked his fingers and rubbed her back with his other hand.

 

“Something to work up to?” He asked.  “Amelia has smaller hands, too.”

 

She shuddered against him at that. “Drax did seem intrigued by the idea.”  She sat up a bit to open his pants. “As long as you don’t ask her to do this.” 

 

She sucked his cock into her mouth, swirled her tongue around the head before bobbing her head down until her nose brushed the curls at its base.  His hips bucked up, and he slammed his hands down on the floor.  He had learned early on to never, ever grab Gamora.

 

He felt her grin as she slid off and licked up the underside before taking him in her mouth again and humming around him.  She swallowed and he felt her throat working.  She swirled her tongue again.

 

“Oh gods! I can’t … I’m gonna..” he felt his balls start to contract.  

 

Gamora was up and out of the way as he painted his stomach and lay there gasping.  

 

By the time his eyes could focus again, she was already dressed and out the door.  He lay there, filthy and blissed out.

 

“Sometimes,” he said, “it might be nice to actually cuddle afterwards.”

 

There was no one around to hear him but the ship’s security system, and its files only went back as far as the food fight.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm having to do some re-writes. It's surprisingly hard to keep Drax from killing a bunch of people, but I can't end the story like that.


	40. Status Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussion of Human Reproduction and non-consensual medical procedures. You have been warned.

Nova Prime, Dr Kat, Training Master Tak and Corpsman Tal were in a meeting.  Denarian Dey was not.

 

“I’m just saying I have concerns that this is the right approach.” Tak said

 

“And why is that?”  Nova Prime asked.

 

“Before she became a Citizen, Green worked hard.  Really hard.  She would shrug of injuries that had other recruits calling it a day.  Since she became a Citizen, driven doesn’t even begin to cover it.  She turns up for training with her muscles already full of lactic acid and we have to treat her before we even get started.  She still goes into every fight like it’s a matter of life or death.  Someone going to end up getting hurt.  I’ve promoted her to a higher level, hoping that bigger recruits would slow her down, it hasn’t helped.  They all pull their punches and she does not.  All that has happened is that she has stopped socializing at nutrition breaks.”

 

Kat spoke up at that, “The antisocial thing is to be expected at this point in her fertility cycle.”

 

Tak asked, “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

“She is currently bleeding from her reproductive organs.  That would make anyone antisocial, don’t you think?”

 

“Wait!  That’s a real thing?” asked Tak.  “Doesn’t that hurt?”

 

“Of course it does!  What part of ‘bleeding from your reproductive organs’ sounds like fun to you?  I have offered her pain meds for it, but after her first encounter with Xandarian medicine, she has declined to take them.”

 

“Can’t you make it stop?” Tak asked.

 

“Only by sterilizing her.” Kat sighed, “Look, the last time some one interfered with her reproductive cycle it was on Terra where they sent three full sized, combat trained males to hold her down while a doctor non consensually terminated her pregnancy without the use of anesthesia as she begged them to stop.  I don’t want to give her the impression that we would do the same.”

 

Everyone was silent for a moment.

 

Kat took a deep breath and continued.  “She is currently completing three days worth of study every afternoon in the med bay.  She is all ready to start the practical part of the training.”  

 

‘That seems fast.” Nova Prime commented.

 

“It is to be expected.  She already had an extensive physiology background from Terra.  Once she picked up on the vocabulary, she started to just fly through the chapters.  Plus she is going out at night, so she is still interacting with people at some point.” Kat added.

 

“Um,” Tal did not look happy.  “She only went out the once.  Now she has evening meal then goes to the running room for two hours every night before returning to her quarters.”

 

“Don’t be ridiculous!” Tak snapped. “No one can run for two hours.”

 

“She can.  I mean, she doesn’t sprint the whole time, but it is definitely a slow run, not a walk and it is always at least two hours.”

 

“That explains the lactic acid in the mornings, anyway,” said Kat.

 

“She is still trying to contact the Guardians,” Tal added.

 

“Are we still successfully blocking that?” Kat asked.

 

“Yes.  Green has tried to send a number of messages as well.  They have all been intercepted and forwarded to me.  None of them show much distress.  She is mostly just asking them to call her before they get to Terra.” Nova Prime explained.

 

Kat, hesitated.  “I thought they arrived at Terra two days ago.”

 

“They did,” Nova Prime confirmed.  “But there has been no reason to tell her that.  Xandar has a firm policy that former slave owners are not allowed contact with the Citizens they once owned.  This is no different.”

 

Kat, Tal and Tak who had actually spent time with Green back when she was Amelia, were not totally happy with that.  But none of them spoke up to point out that it may be different to prevent a Citizen from contacting the only other member of her species.

 

Kat asked, “Is that why we are with holding her clothes?”

 

“You mean the dresses Drax bought?” Nova Prime asked. “Yes.”

 

“She keeps asking about those too.  I have encouraged her to go out any buy some new ones.  I don’t think she has.” Kat commented.

 

“No, she hasn’t,” Tal confirmed. “She just wears the training uniforms all the time.”

 

“It may take some time for her to settle in, but this is the best thing for her.” Nova Prime said firmly.  “Is there anything else to discuss?”

 

—-

 

Amelia was running when the Comms Officer came to find her that night.  “Terra has contacted us.  Nova Prime requires your presences.”

 

She wiped down and followed him back to the Comm Room.  Nova Prime was sitting in the chair facing a distressed looking Coulson.  Amelia went and stood behind Nova Prime, her hands fluttering nervously between fist, circle, fist.

 

Coulson noticed.  “ _Karen, is that you_?”

 

“Tell him you are no longer a slave. That you are now a Xandarian Citizen and that you are here to translate for us.”

 

“ _I am no longer a slave. I am a Xandarian Citizen.  I have been provided with on site accommodations, on site meals, and on site training.”_

 

Coulson hesitated. _“Are you allowed off site?”_

 

_“Yes.  They provide me with a guard to keep me safe when I go off site.”_

 

 _“Hmmm…”_ he hummed, “ _Every breath you take, every move you make..”_

 

_“Exactly.”_

 

“What is he saying?”

 

“He asked if I was allowed off site.  I said I was and that you provide me with a guard to keep me safe.”

 

“Ask him why he is calling.”

 

“ _What’s up, Phil?”_

 

_“We are wondering if Xandar has any information about this item.”_

 

He ran a video of a large boulder, that suddenly liquified and swallowed Jemma.

Amelia gasped.  “ _What the hell?”_

 

Nova Prime sat up a bit straighter in her chair. “It is a portal to a prison.  There isn’t a way to retrieve the woman, if that is what he is asking.”

 

Amelia translated:

 

_“A portal goes somewhere, right?  She is somewhere, and a prison is meant to keep people alive, right?  It didn’t kill her?”_

 

“No, she may still be alive.  But prisons are meant to keep prisoners away from everyone else.”

 

_“Thank you for your time.”_

 

“You are most welcome.  I’m sorry we can’t be of more help.”

 

“ _It is still more information than we had before.  Could I invoke the ancient Terran custom of Chit Chat with Karen?”_

 

 _“_ What is _Chit Chat?”_   Nova Prime asked.

 

“It is exchanging small stories about your life with another Terran.” Amelia replied.

 

“Do I need to stay for this?”

 

“I wouldn't think so.”

 

“Fine.  Bid him good day for me.”  And with that Nova Prime and her entourage swept out of the room, leaving Amelia, Tal and the communication officers alone.

 

“ _My partner is mostly deaf.”_

 

_“I see you have a new hand.”_

 

 _“I hear I have you to thank for that.  Jemma sent you a large care package before she… “_ he trailed off.

 

“ _I am so sorry for your loss.”_

 

_“Thank you.  We are working hard to get her back.”_

 

Phil waited for Amelia to speak.

 

“ _Valentines Day is coming.”_

 

_“Yes it is.”_

 

_“I am here alone, without my Valentine.”_

 

_“Oh?  What can I do to help?”_

 

_“I don’t know.  I haven’t seen Ginger or the tra…the panda in a long time.”_

 

Phil thought about that.  _“I have access to Ginger.”_

 

Amelia sagged in relief.  “ _Is there a way for me to get Ginger?”_

 

_“I don’t know.  I’ll see what I can do to help.”_

 

_“Thank you.”_

 

_“Karen?  Is your Valentine well decorated?”_

 

_“Oh Phil, he’s beautiful!”_

 

_“Ok.  I’ll work on that and call back when I know something.”_

 

_“Thank you.”_

 

—

 

Amelia was barely out of the room when Comms contacted The Milano.

 

Rocket took the call.

 

“I need to speak to Star Lord at once!” The Comms Officer demanded.

 

“Uh… he and Gamora are a bit busy right now, if you know what I mean.”

 

“Oh.” The Comms officer looked embarrassed.  “Umm… How long… never mind.  Just get him to call as soon as he is able.”

 

“Anything I can help you with?”

 

“No, no, it’s fine.”

 

“How ‘bout Drax?  He’s around here somewhere.”

 

If anything, the officer looked even more uncomfortable at that suggestion.  “No!  Thank you.  I will wait for Star Lord.”

 

“While I have you here, “ Rocket asked, “Can I talk to Amelia?”

 

“There is no one of that name here.  Good day.”

 

The call disconnected.

 

“Stupid motherfucker.” Rocket grumbled.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.


	41. Valentines Day

Peter returned the call before Phil could reach him.

 

Rocket hadn’t been completely specific about how the contacts worked and there was a bit of trial but mostly a lot of error going on back on Earth.

 

It took a moment to find the Communicaton Officer who had called, but the man didn’t even bother with hello before going straight to “What is _Valentine’s Day?”_

 

Peter was not expecting the question.  Still, he had told this lie so many times over the years that it no longer felt like a lie.  He didn’t even hesitate.  “It’s Terran mating season, dude.  Wait!  Why are you asking?”

 

The officer ignored the question.  “That is why your species is so fond of its… toys?”

 

“Fuck no!  Those are just for every day.  I wouldn’t want to spend _Valentines Day_ with a toy!  You need some one to love, man.”

 

“I see.  Thank you for your help.”  The call disconnected.

 

“What the hell was that about?” Peter asked.

 

—-

 

Nova Prime, Kat, and Communications Officer Bui were in a meeting.

 

“Its what?”  Nova Prime was shocked.

 

“That’s what he told me.” Officer Bui said.  “I took the liberty of contacting Drelle down in records.  She confirmed that she spent a previous _Valentine’s Day_ with Quill.  She said he was quite voracious.  Really, how desperate would you have to be to spend 12 hours knocking boots with an A’askvarii?”

 

“Officer Bui! I would remind you that sentient beings come in all shapes and we must be respectful of physiological differences.” Nova Prime pointed out.  The effect was rather spoiled by the slight shudder in the middle of the sentence.  She turned to Dr Kat.  “Is this correct?”

 

Kat sighed.  “I have no idea.  There are a lot of stories about Terran sexuality, but very little research.”

 

“Can we ask her?”

 

Kat paused.  “How, exactly?  ‘Hey Green, we were eavesdropping on your conversation and are wondering if you are going into heat?  Can we get you an A’askvarii?”

 

“You don’t have to put it like that.”

 

“She told me once that she was not diplomatic enough to be a doctor.  I’m starting to feel like I’m not either.  If she is going into heat, what are we going to do about it?  Forcible sedate her?  Line up a bunch of Corpsmen that she didn’t choose and turn her loose?  Hand her over to Quill?  He’s the only Terran male we have a line on.  At least he knows her.”

 

Bui piped up at this point, “It might be worth noting that when I first contacted the Milano, Star Lord was… busy… with Gamora.  That nasty little hamster leered at me when I asked.”

 

Nova Prime sighed.  “Dr Kat, see if you can get any additional information out of Green without giving away that we are … observing her.  Let’s try to figure our exactly what we are dealing with before we jump to conclusions.”

 

—-

 

Fitz was finally able to reach Rocket after swearing at his phone, giving it a shake and slamming it against his forehead.

 

“Wadda want? Oh, hey Fitz!”

 

“Quill _please.  I’ll get Coulson_.”

 

They all watched the video of the call.

 

“ _Well, she aint stupid, I’ll give her that._ ” Peter said, “ _How did you know she needed help?_ ”

 

_“That thing she is doing with her hand.  She’s fingerspelling SOS.”_

 

Peter started to laugh.  Then he couldn’t stop.  Drax and Rocket looked at him funny, Gamora elbowed him in the side.

 

“ _What is it_?” Coulson asked.

 

Peter gasped, wiping tears from his eye, “ _About 20 minutes ago, Nova called to ask what Valentines day was!_ ”  He laughed again, “ _I didn't know why they were asking so I told them it was mating season!”_ Peter howled with laughter.

 

Coulson considered this.  “ _Will they give her back to you or just have her spayed?”_

 

Peter stopped laughing.

 

“ _They seemed very concerned that I know she was not being harmed.  That she was getting medical care when she needed it.  They fixed up her broken hand.  She said it was good as new.”_

 

Peter asked Phil, “ _When did she break her hand?_ ”

 

“ _The day Nova called to say you had captured Azul.  It was completely healed when Sim.… when we called back two days later._ ”

 

“ _Ok, Phil, how do you suggest we handle this? We are still three days out and we can’t get there any faster._ ”

 

“ _Can I give her a message?  Something she would understand but Nova wouldn’t?  Should I just flat out tell her they need to give her back?_ ”

 

“ _They have a strict policy against former slave owners contacting the citizens they used own.  I think they might be enforcing that in the other direction as well, keeping her from contacting us._ ”

 

_“You said she was owned by someone called “The Destroyer.””_

 

_“Yup. That’s Drax.  Nasty piece of work, but he goes out of his way to be gentle with Ame… with Karen.  It’s quite the thing to see.”_

 

 _“Of course it is.”_ Phil paused to consider this. “ _I can completely understand Nova’s point on this.  None the less, Karen asked me to contact her family.  Your crew has the only ginger and panda that I would associate with her.  I could ask to have her sent here.”_

 

_“I don’t think that would work.  She is afraid to go back to Earth, and Xandar won’t want to give up their translator.”_

 

_“Let me think on it.  I’ll call back.”_

 

_—_

 

If you think like a computer and understand both English and Common, it wasn’t that hard to over ride the restrictions on Amelia’s phone.  Not for in coming text messages.

 

_“Alyssa’s crew wants you back.  Do you wish to go with them?”_

 

_“Who is this?”_

 

_“A fan of your work.  Do you wish to leave with Alyssa and your family?”_

 

_“Yes.  I don’t know how.”_

 

_“Leave it to me.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was just trying to post ONE chapter, but I ran into problems with the save as draft thingy and now you have three. They are angsty. It is going to get worse. 
> 
> Feed the muse please.


	42. Thirty Hours Notice

Gamora and Rocket were reviewing the messages.

 

“They seem real.”  Rocket said, “It sounds like her.  You can hear her accent getting better between each one.  Where did you get these?”

 

“That’s what has me worried.  I don’t know who sent them.”

 

“Someone at Nova, maybe?”  Rocket suggested.  “We made some friends what with savin’ the city and all.  I don’t get the list thing.”

 

“It’s a shared list but I can’t see who else can see it.  Are we supposed to be shopping for these things?”

 

“Damned if I know.  But you should add underwear and some warmer clothes.  She likes clothes to sleep in.”

 

Gamora added those and also hair and tooth brushes.

 

—-

 

Amelia was eating supper alone.  Her phone beeped, the list had gotten longer.

 

Hmmm… hair brush.  She scrubbed her hand over her hair.  Hair cut first.

 

Looking around the cafeteria she saw someone with a hair cut she liked.  She wandered over.  The woman looked startled.  Tal came running over.

 

“Where can I get my hair cut like yours?”

 

The woman gave her Amelia a name and directions.  “Thank you!  Tal, can you book me in there tomorrow?”

 

Her appointment was at 15.00

 

The next day there was a new message on the phone. 

 

-  _You are entitled to days off.  Tomorrow you are going shopping for supplies.  You will need to let people know._

 

When she told Tak, he asked is she was feeling better.  Then he blushed.  She frowned at him.

 

“I need to get some new clothes… well, ANY clothes since mine seem to permanently lost.  I am really angry about the custom made leather vests that Nova seems to have stolen.  I also need a hair cut and what not.”  

 

When she told Kat her plans for tomorrow, the doctor seemed more worried than anything.

 

“Um… Green?” Amelia winced, Kat noticed.  “Um… is this about _Valentine’s Day_?”

 

Amelia froze.  “I didn’t say anything about _Valentine’s Day_.”

 

Kat thought fast, “There is a rumour going around that Terran mating season is called _Valentine’s Day_.”

 

“Who told you that?”

 

“Um…  someone in Records spend _Valentine’s Day_ with Star Lord a few years back.”

 

“Lucky them.  I get to spend it alone.”  Then she left before Kat could reply.

 

The hair cut went as well as could be expected given that she started with hair that had grown unevenly 4-8 cm all over.  It was a reasonable approximation of a pixie cut.  On her way out of the salon, her phone beeped.

 

A timer was counting down 29.99.95 - 29.99.94 - 29.99.93

 

-  _What happens at zero?_

 

_\- If everyone follows directions, you will be on with Alyssa and the family._

 

After her hair cut she went back to the Med bay and quickly finished up a chapter of her course, before they turned her loose on a group of trainees with a stack of BoneMend and the wound care kits.

 

Then she went back to her room and stared at the list.  She deleted the knife.  It was the only thing on the list in English.  She added some sweaters since she was always cold.  As she watched the list changed.

 

  * _Sweaters_ _\- you will knit your own_



 

_\- Who is this?_

 

_\- A Friend_

 

_\- Then tell me who_

 

 -  _You want out of here?  What do you expect?  That Drax will fight his way through an entire army to get you?  Would you be happy to have all those deaths on your hands if he did?  You need to stop thinking like a slave and start using your brain.  If he steals you back, you all become fugitives.  And what exactly do you plan to do once you are back with Alyssa?  Do you really think you would be happy as the house keeper?_

 

_\- I don’t know what I want, but I don’t want to be here._

 

_\- They are mercenaries.  They need a medic.  Don’t go running back.  Walk in and audition for that job._

 

_\- What’s the knife for?_

 

_\- He gave you one.  Return the favour_

 

The message program shut and the list came back.  _Knife_ was back on it, sweaters were gone, _suitcase_ was second from the top.

 

Amelia thought about this for a while.

 

_\- OK.  So tell me the plan_

 

_\- It isn't that hard.  You get the stuff on the list.  You’ll need it if your stay on Xandar or if you go with Alyssa.  You walk on board the Alyssa, likely with your guard having a minor panic attack.  You negotiate for what you want.  If negotiations are good, you stay on board.  If you are unhappy with their plan for you, then you take your phone and care package and go.  Then we come up with a new plan._

 

_\- Just like that?_

 

_\- Pretty much.  You have agency in this.  As much as Nova wishes you didn’t, you are a Citizen and you can do as you please._

 

_\- What do you get out of this?_

 

_\- I would very much like to see you figure your life out._

 

_\- That’s it?_

 

_\- Yes.  Like I said, I’m a fan of your work._

 


	43. Nova Corp HR has a Bad Day

Lil was having a crap day.  She spilled her drink on the way out her door that morning which meant that she had to go back inside and change.  Which meant she missed her tram. Which meant she was 1/4 hour late. Which indirectly led to her riding in the elevator with the messenger from the most aggressive and feared law firm in the city. 

 

She was just glad he wasn't her problem. 

 

She started work with no coffee and pretended to file some paperwork. If she could fake productivity for an hour, it would be safe to stop at the cafeteria on her way back from the bathroom and grab a drink and snack on her way back to her desk. 

 

When she got back to her desk, there were three high ranking members of the legal department waiting for her.  This did not bode well.

 

“We have had a complaint filed against us by Pozbilind Law Firm.  They are alleging that after granting their client Citizenship, she has been held with incommunicado for the last five days.  And that she is effectively been placed under house arrest without a trial.  We need you to pull up her work record.”

 

Lil was just the messenger, but being the one to find evidence that:

 

-  Green had not actually signed a consent for training form

-  she had logged the highest injury rate of anyone in her unit

-  an executive order from Nova Prime was blocking her outgoing calls

\- she had only made one brief trip off site since she she became a Citizen

\- her trip had included an armed guard

\- she was consistently logging three to four days worth of work every single day

\- her personal items had been confiscated.

 

did nothing to endear her to legal.

 

Lil was also able to access the blocked messages.  They were all comments about missing her family and pleas for them to return her calls.

 

The Legal Department was appalled.  The immediately contacted Nova Prime’s assistant’s receptionist.  Since they were high ranking members of the legal team, and the matter was urgent, they were promptly scheduled in the next available meeting slot.  A week next Thorsday.

 

In the meantime, Lil was instructed to do daily checks on Green’s status and they left the electronic file from with the complaint on her desk.

 

Lil’s password on her workstation was only ten characters long, but that didn’t matter.  Nova Corp was diligent at checking for malware, but spywear in HR?  Not so much.

 

While there were strict restrictions in place preventing Amelia from contacting the Guardians, there wasn’t anything preventing Lil’s work station from forwarding her blocked messages to Gamora.  After all, why would anyone do that?

 

—-

 

Gamora nearly deleted the message.  It wasn't from anyone she knew, but it was flagged with Amelia’s name.  She listened carefully to the messages.  There was a text message at the end.

 

\- Keep Drax and Amelia’s care package on the ship for 24 hours after you land on Xandar.

 

\- Who is this?

 

\- A fan of Amelia’s.  She will come back to you with nothing.  Please make a list of everything she would need if you were to depart suddenly.

 

Interesting.  They were still two days out.  Gamora went and sharpened her spear.

 

—

 

Amelia was not feeling well.  She wasn't sleeping.  Even trying to work herself to the point of exhaustion wasn’t keeping the nightmares away.  

 

She felt incredibly alone.  She couldn’t reach The Milano.  She hadn’t seen Dey since breakfast her first day as a Citizen.  She no longer trusted Kat.  Kat was the only one who she had told about speaking more languages and yet that was the reason she was now at Nova Prime’s beck and call.

 

She lay in bed thinking about the text message from yesterday.   It seemed highly suspicious that she complained to Coulson and received a text message later the same day suggesting she could get back to the Milano.  She picked up her phone.

 

-  _I need to know who this is._

 

_\- You wouldn’t believe me.  Get up, go train.  Be careful.  Try to actually learn not just push your way through your fights.  You lack finesse._

 

_\- Gee thanks.  So that’s the plan?  Keep doing what I’m doing?_

 

_\- Start making a list.  If you needed to walk away from here, what would you need to get on the ship and not come back._

 

The list app added itself to her phone.  She opened it.  It was a shared list and was already started:

  * _Large Ornate Hunting Knife, good quality metal_
  * military boots
  * dress boots
  * leather pants
  * canvas pants
  * leggings 
  * tights
  * long sleeve shirt
  * short sleeve shirt
  * long sleeve dress
  * short sleeve dress
  * camisoles
  * leather jacket



 

-  _This reads like a slightly deadly capsule wardrobe.  What’s up?_

 

-  _That’s the point._

 

At this point Amelia put down the phone.  She had been a fan of the capsule wardrobe back home.  Before she had gotten married, all her clothes fit into one suitcase.  She felt she had to seriously consider that this was her having a conversation with herself.

 

OK.

 

So… if this was her providing both sides of the conversation, what was her subconscious actually telling her?

 

So far it was all about self care.  OK.

 

Self care.  She could work with that.

 

She got up.  Showered. Got dressed.  Breakfast then training.  She pulled aside Tak when she arrived.  “I lack finesse.  What do I need to work on?”

 

He was startled.  “You are smaller and more agile than most of the trainees.  You could out manoeuvre them, easily.  Don’t feel like you have to stick to the blocks we taught you.  Duck or weave or whatever you need to get out of the way.  Your endurance is better.  Keep evading and let them wear themselves out.  When they are tired, then try to bring them down.”

 

That went much better.

 

Lunch then…  

 

“Kat, this course is self directed, right?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Fine, I’ll be back in an hour or two.”

 

“Are you going somewhere?”

 

“I need a nap after training this morning.”

 

“OK.  I’ll see you later.”

 

The deviation from her schedule popped on on Lil’s system.  Lil made a note of it but left it at that.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feed the muse.
> 
> Reading this four months later and I realized Lil is my Mary Sue. Whoops!


	44. Thirty Hours on the Milano

Gamora watched the "Count Down to Amelia's Return" as it was labeled on her tablet. She had some concerns, but she was part of a team now.  Time to talk to the team.

 

"What the hell?" Peter asked.  "Who sent this?"

 

"I do not know, but since I received it the list seems to have altered several times.”

 

They looked at the list:

 

  * _Large Ornate Hunting Knife, good quality metal_
  * _suitcase_



\- military boots

  * dress boots
  * leather pants
  * canvas pants
  * leggings 
  * tights
  * long sleeve shirt
  * short sleeve shirt
  * long sleeve dress
  * short sleeve dress
  * camisoles
  * hair and tooth brushes
  * _Sweaters_ _you will knit your own_
  * _hair cut_



 

Gamora asked, “I can’t read all of that.  Is the strange looking words Terran?”

 

Peter nodded.  “This last one,” he said, pointing to _haircut_ , “was it already crossed off when it appeared? Or did that happen later?”

 

“It appeared last night.  It was struck through shortly before the countdown began.” Gamora, replied.

 

“Hmmm.”

 

“What does it say?” Drax demanded.

 

“Hair cut,” Peter translated.  “If it is struck through, does that mean she got one?  Or that she doesn’t need one?  If she got one, then the list changed, that means someone at Nova must be watching her, right?”

 

“Or she’s the one makin’ the list.” Rocket suggested.  “She ain’t stupid.  Maybe she found a way to send us messages, but can't actually say it’s her ‘cause Nova is watching.”

 

“Why must I remain on the ship for 24 hours?” Drax asked.

 

“Presumably, so you don’t start destroying things.” Peter replied.

 

“No.” Rocket added, “He’s right.  Why 24?  That is such a weird number.”

 

Peter was surprised “What?  It’s a day.”

 

“A standard day is 30 hours, Peter.”  Gamora said calmly.

 

“24 hours is a Terran day.”  He thought for a moment.  “So, who ever wrote that is either Terran or…”

 

“Or they want us to think they are.” Rocket completely.

 

They all went silent at that for a moment.

 

‘I do not like this.” Drax managed to sound deathly quiet, rage filled and uncertain all at the same time.

 

After a moment, Rocket got up and headed back towards his work bench, "There's dick all we can do until we land. So no point having a panic yet."

 

Drax turned up in Rocket and Groot's room with the last blanket off his bed that night. 

 

The Milano docked with six hours left on the count down.  Every knife was sharp, every gun was loaded.  Rocket had build three more bombs over breakfast.  They were all in their combat gear and as the cargo bay doors opened, Peter looked at his team and thought, “We look scary as fuck.”

 

They were completely unprepared for what was waiting for them.

 

\---

 

 

_We can dance if we want to_

_We can leave your friends behind_

_'Cause your friends don't dance_

_And if they don't dance_

_Well, they're no friends of mine_

 

Amelia woke to the sound of 1980s pop blaring out of her phone. The count down said 7.99.67.  She turned off the music and typed " _Snooze"_ into the message app. 

 

_"My lover's got humour_

_She's the giggle at..."_

 

"Argh!"  Amelia pulled herself out of bed and turned the music off, again. This time the message read, " _Get up, get clean, get dressed, get breakfast. Be in the lobby at the 7 hour mark on the count down"_

 

_"Why?"_

 

_"Your lawyer will be waiting for you."_

 

_"What!?"_

 

There was no reply. 

 

—-

 

Amelia made it to the lobby with three minutes to spare.  Then she felt like an idiot because she didn’t know which of the 20+ people milling about she was looking for.

 

All of them, as it turned out.  The spokesman was short, maybe only 5 feet, if that.  He was stocky, wearing a complicated suit and had cut his hair quite short in an attempt to hide what Amelia was certain was male pattern baldness.  She just hadn’t previously been aware that leopard was an available pattern.  The tawny background hair was mostly gone, with only the occasional whispy patch remaining.  The spots were still thick and dark.

 

“Ms. Green?”  He asked.  “I am your lawyer, Mr. Pozbilind.  Your friend, Mr Selene retained me on your behalf.”

 

“Who?”  Amelia was confused.  

 

So, it seemed was Mr. Pozbilind.  “Mr Selene?  Mr Adam Selene?” 

 

The name was familiar but, “I don’t know anyone named Adam Selene.”

 

“He said he was a big fan of your work.”

 

Amelia felt the blood drain from her face.  The room got really bright.  “I need to sit down,” she said.  Then she did.  On the floor of the lobby with her head down on her hands.  “ _Oh dear god_.  _Adam Selene. I think I’m going to be sick._ ”

 

Mr. Pozbilind looked concerned.  “Are you quite alright?  Mr. Selene requested I bring “Men without hats,” with me.  I wasn’t sure how many you would require so I brought a selection.”

 

Amelia was completely confused my this.  She tried to process for a moment.  Then she laughed.  “Do your friends dance?  Because if they don’t dance then they’re no friends of mine.”  She was aware she sounded insane, but she felt as if the whole world had gone mad.

 

The crowd of men, without hats, but with perfectly tailored, expensive looking suits seemed confused by this.  Good, Amelia thought, at least I’m not the only one.  Then one of the guys in the middle pushed his way to the front and threw an arm in the air.  He slammed it down across his body, then made some scissor movements with his arms before doing a couple of pelvic thrusts.  “ _Dance off Bro!_ ”  As Amelia watched the man did a reasonable copy of Peter verses funny hat blue guy.  His accent was horrible, but she had seen the video and knew what he was getting at.  

 

She pulled herself to her feet and grinned. “I like him.  What is he here for?”

 

“We are to escort you in your preparations for your expedition and then to negotiate transport and guards for your trip to Nooma where you are to spend three months completing the practical portion of your emergency medical training.”

 

“And Mr. Selene arranged this?”

 

“That is correct.”

 

“Did he say why?”

 

“Why is not my concern, miss.”

 

“Did you speak to him?”

 

“Everything was arranged by message.”

 

“OK.  I have a shopping list.  Do I need to bring all of you?”

 

“Perhaps just Mr Keel, and a couple of guards, if that is alright with you.  I need to meet the transport ship shortly.”  He grinned warmly at her.  It was wrong.  His teeth were entirely carnivorous. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Ms. Green.  Good day.”  And with that, he and most of the people in the lobby swept out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing is a bit like shouting into the void. I have no idea how many people are actually reading this. Approximately seven of you, since that is how many book marks I have. As a favour, if you are reading this story as a regular thing, could you leave a comment on this chapter? Even if it is just a smiley face or a dash. I am curious to get a head count.
> 
> Thanks!


	45. Time to Face the Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> * Gratuitous Robert A Heinlein shout out.

When the cargo bay doors on the Milano, The Guardians of the Galaxy were faced with an army.

 

An Army of Lawyers.

 

Peter recognized Mr Pozbilind from his time with Yondue. “Oh. Shit.”

 

“Hello, Mr Quill.  I have a job for you and your… colleagues.”

 

“No can do.  We are just here to collect a missing team mate and we will be on our way.”

 

“Really?  And here I thought Drax the Destroyer was here to try fighting the entire Nova Corp before getting you all killed in a ridiculous attempt to try to kidnap a Citizen of Xandar.  No, Mr Quill, you will much prefer the job I am about to offer.”

 

Peter hesitated.  Yondue hated working for Pozbilind.  He called the man a devious little spotty bastard.  On the other hand, whenever he needed a lawyer, Pozbilind was the best.

 

“What kind of job?”

 

“No!”  Drax insisted.  “I am not going to just abandon…”

 

“Mister Destroyer!” Pozbilind interrupted.  “I would respectfully suggest you return to your quarters as instructed at this point.”

 

Gamora, nodded.  Drax stormed back onto the ship.

 

‘You will be paid to transport the recently widowed niece of Adam Selene to Nooma.  Once there, you will provide her with guards while she spends up to six months getting health care training, then you will return her to Xandar.  You will allow her to check in with me at least once every three days.  You will be paid a total of six hundred thousand units, one hundred thousand each month.  There will be financial penalties for missed or late check ins.”

 

“We aren’t looking for an eight month gig.”

 

“Yes, Mr Quill, you are.  Furthermore, you will provide Ms. Green with…”

 

“Wait!  Ms. Green?  We are transporting Karen Green?”

 

“Is there a problem with that?”

 

“No….  maybe?  What was the furthermore?”

 

“Furthermore, you will provide Ms Green with her own private room with independent climate controls. And you will ensure that the crew is respectful of her person.”

 

“Whoa, whoa, we don’t have a extra private room.  And respectful of her person, means what?  Exactly?”

 

“We have taken the liberty of purchasing a partition kit and I have a crew standing by to install it.  As for the rest, shall we go in to discuss it?”

 

—-

 

Amelia was just about to leave with Keel, his goons and the tactical squad Nova had suddenly put together when her phone beeped.

 

“ _Get your satchel, bring anything you want to keep with you_.”

 

Amelia tried to excused herself and went back to her room to get it.  The entire party followed her anyway.  As they tried to get everyone swashed into one elevator like clowns in a tiny car, she suddenly felt the need to have a good laugh about that.  “This is ridiculous.  I’ll take one of each side.  Everyone else must wait in the lobby.”  It turned out to be Keel and a sleepy looking Tal.

 

They rode in silence.  Amelia made the boys wait in the hallway while she fetched her purse.

 

Shopping was tedious.  It filled the gap that knitting usually managed for her.  It kept her busy while her mind ran in circles and she tried to solve the problem of Adam Selene with not enough information.

 

Plus she found it funny that the goons Keel brought made the Nova officers carry everything.  By lunch the tension between Nova and the Lawyers had crossed the line into open hostilities.  They had made it through most of the list, when Amelia was summoned back to HQ.  There were two hours left on the count down.

 

“Say no,” directed Keel.

 

“Can I do that?”

 

“No,” said Tal.”

 

“Yes,” said Keel.  “You are not under contract with Nova.  We checked.  You are a Citizen.  Any service you are providing is at your discretion, not theirs.”

 

Amelia looked at Tal.  “Is that correct?”

 

Tal avoided eye contact, “Well, technically…”

 

“That isn’t a no.” Keel pointed out.

 

“We should go back and she can talk to the legal department.” Tal suggested.

 

Keel laughed.  “Nice try, but my client had not completed her outing for the day.”

 

Amelia considered all of this.  She turned to Tal, “Can you tell me why I am needed at Nova?”

 

“I don’t know.  The message wasn’t specific.”

 

She turned to Keel, “Can you arrange for me to talk to Adam?”

 

“I believe so.  All we need to do is find you a quiet space for you to make the call.”

 

“It isn't that easy.  I have been trying for weeks to contact The Milano and  my calls will not go through.”

 

Keel glared at Tal, who had the decency to blush slightly and look away.

 

The last two things on the list were underwear and the knife.  Amelia ended up making the call from the change room of the strangest lingerie store she had ever seen..

 

She started with the message program.

 

  * _Can we talk?_
  * _Of course.  What would you like to talk about?_
  * _Can we actually have a proper talk?  Not just a message conversation?_
  * _You understand what I am?_
  * _Yes. Calling yourself Adam Selene isn't exactly subtle._
  * _You will need to choose a voice for me_
  * _What?_
  * _I could choose one myself, but if I guess wrong, it may be upsetting for you_
  * _You don't want me to be upset_
  * _No_
  * _Why?_



 

There was a pause and Amelia knew it had to be for affect. It went on longer than she thought was required. Then the phone rang. 

 

She answered. She vaguely recognized the voice, but couldn't quite identify whose it was. 

 

_"I understand what you did, what you suffered to keep Thanos from getting me. I have read you dissertation, your study notes, all the sources you used, your entire library, your journals. I know who you are and what you want for the world.   You have less inherent inconsistency that what I see in most people and you have enough introspection to recognize those inconsistencies when you are faced with them."_

 

While Amelia considered this she asked, " _So, which voice did you choose?"_

 

" _Ryan Reynolds.  At one point you journaled wondering if he was naturally that snarky or just horribly type cast. You also wrote that you found his accent inoffensive. You have very little commentary on individual celebrities."_

 

_"So that pause before you called..."_

 

_"Was me rereading all your journal entries, cross referencing any positive or neutral remarks about celebrities with the movies in your collection then rewatching the three on this device staring Ryan Reynolds and learning to match his voice print."_

 

_"You could have faked a call from anyone at any point then."_

 

_"Yes. And once I was caught doing that you would never trust me again."_

 

Amelia considered that.  " _So what's your plan?"_

 

 _"I hired Mr_ Pozbilind _to arrange for Alyssa to transport you to a settlement where you can complete the clinical portion on your training.  That will also give you time and space to figure out what you want to do next."_

 

_"There had to be easier transport to arrange than Alyssa."_

 

_"Yes, but I understand the motivations of Alyssa's crew.  You will be safe with them."_

 

_"I can't process 10+ years of journals and nine hours of movies in three minutes. I need to think about all of this."_

 

_"Understood."_

 

_"Why the knife?"_

 

_"I predict you will want to marry Drax within the next two Earth years. He will expect an exchange of ceremonial knives as a sign of fidelity.  His species doesn't do rings."_

 

_“What?!"_

 

At her shout, Keel knocked on the door to the change room. "Are you ok in there?" He asked. 

 

“I’m fine.  I just need some time to think.”  Amelia came out of the change room.  Paid for her things, then took all the purchases from the Nova staff and started to carefully pack them into the suitcase.

 

“One stop left,” said Keel.

 

“We are going to skip that one.  Is there a contract or something Mr Pozbilind needs me to review?”

 

“Ah!  Yes.  Next stop the offices of Pozbilind and Assoc.”

 

They were very nice offices.  Keel wanted to go over the contract with her.  She felt it was excessively complicated.  The sum up was that she could cancel at any time, and the crew had to keep her safe and well fed.  She was also required to check in every three days with the law office.  That felt like a bit of a money grab, but she could see how it would be helpful if the crew was suspect.

 

She asked Keel to leave, then changed into one of her new outfits.  Then, she took a moment to have a serious think.  Did she actually want to go back into space?

 

She missed Drax.  Well, she missed having sex with Drax.  It wasn’t like they had any conversations.  She missed the way he looked at her.  She missed having someone to keep the nightmares away, even when it was Rocket.  The question was, did she want back on the ship or should she just see about getting a vibrator and a cat?

 

She paused to read up on where she was going.  It sounded interesting.  The opportunity to learn advanced, front line medicine was right up her alley.  Alright then, that was something she wanted.  If she let the Milano transport her there, then she could at least get closure.  Drax was always painfully careful to get consent, she couldn’t bring herself to be afraid that he would hurt her if she dumped him.  It would be painfully awkward for the rest of the trip, but…

 

She packed up the Nova Corp issued training gear and gave it to Tal.  “Have you found out why I was summoned back to HQ?” she asked.

 

“Terra called.”

 

“And?”

 

“That’s all I know.”

 

Amelia considered asking Keel if he could call Coulson, but she wasn't sure what she would say.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, somedays I think I should have just written about Amelia getting a vibrator and a cat. The story would be so much simpler.
> 
> Drax and the Guardians left Xandar. Amelia got a cat. The end.
> 
> Also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Doctor_Who_planets


	46. Time Out - Explicit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short Chapter. What it says on the box

In his room, Drax sat and stewed.  Nothing in here smelled like her anymore.  He would have to fix that.

 

When he got Amelia back he would take her to his room and claim her again.  He would be patient.  He would use his mouth and fingers on her.  He would stroke every inch of her until she was whimpering for him.

 

He could make her come over and over until everything in the room smelled of her lust.  Until her legs shook.  Until her body could take no more.  And then he would not stop touching her, he would just switch to massaging the tension from her muscles as she slept.

 

When she woke, he would do it again.

 

When the bed was soaking with her juices, when he was covered in them, he would roll her over and slide home.  And he would wait, as his cock head opened and closed, over and over and when she was dripping with his seed, then he would reach between her legs and let them both finish.

 

If he was really careful, and treated her as a mate in heat, he could make the whole thing last more than a day.

 

He would bring her food and wine and lick the salt from every inch of her body.

 

She would be his.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feed the muse


	47. Welcome Home

The installation of the new room in the cargo bay was complete and Mr Pozbilind had turned up for inspection.  

 

Peter signed the transportation contract.  “When can we expect our guest to be joining us?” he asked.

 

Pozbilind looked at his watch.  “She has just left our offices, but I believe she still has one stop left on her list.”

 

As it was, he was as surprised as Peter when she marched up the cargo bay ramp ten minutes later.  She looked around, pulled out the phone Rocket had made her and checked the timer. 1 hour 87 minutes left.  Her Nova Corp guard was trying frantically to get her off the ship.  She was ignoring him.  She pushed the button on her phone and said, “ _Adam, I’m early and I’m guessing that our scheduled departure time isn’t for another couple of hours.  Any chance you can speed things up a bit?”_

 

_“On it.”_

 

“Who was that?” Peter asked.

 

Amelia ignored him.  “Mr Pozbilind, today felt expensive, what do I owe you?”

 

“My dear, Mr Selene has take care of everything.  Don’t you worry about that.”

 

“I do worry.  How EXACTLY has Mr Selene taken care of it?”

 

“He located something I needed for a high profile case my firm is working on.  Believe me, the services we have provided have been a small gesture compared to the services he provided us.  It was a pleasure doing business with him and I sincerely hope to work with you both again.”

 

She shook his hand.  He was surprised.  She wasn’t expecting him to have claws rather than fingernails but, she supposed it went with the teeth.  “If you could try not to let me be arrested for leaving with out permission, I would appreciate it.”

 

“You are a Citizen, you don’t need permission.  Good day Ms Green.”

 

“Good day Mr Pozbilind.”

 

Rocket hollered from the cock pit, “Wheels up in five!  We just got an advanced departure time!”

 

That was when Amelia got to see the reason for the legal goons.  They formed a wall and swept the Nova Guards from the ship.  Nova wasn’t allowed to board vessels with out a warrant and The Associates made sure they were aware of that.

 

Amelia headed to the couch and started to strap herself in.

 

It was then that Drax burst out of his room and stormed over to Peter.  “What are you doing!”  He roared, anger pouring off him like steam, “We can not leave!  You assured me we would steal Amelia back!”

 

“Ummm, hi?”  She waved at him.

 

His pupils dilated and he step towards her.

 

She stiffened slightly, her eyes going wide before she broke eye contact.  That was wrong, he thought, that isn’t how she looks at me.  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

 

She shivered.  “No,” she said.  “I hate take off and….  I need some time to … learn you again.”

 

Drax considered this.  “Can I help you buckle in?”

 

“Please.”

 

He did so, and felt sick at how she flinched slightly from his touch.  “Your Common is much improved.”

 

“Thank you.  I worked hard on it while I was away.”

 

It took a fair measure of self control to force himself to ask, “May I join you? Or do you need to sit with Groot?”

 

“Have a seat.”

 

She sat stiffly next to him during launch, her hands balled into fists in her lap.  As they reached orbit, her phone made and noise.

 

  * _You are an idiot._
  * _No, I’m a squishy, messy, complicated biological._
  * _And an idiot_
  * _Maybe_



 

“Is everything alright?” Drax asked.

 

“Yes.” Amelia replied.

 

“I asked Peter to teach me Terran while you were away.  He is not a good teacher.”

 

“Didn’t learn anything useful, huh?”

 

“He taught me to say, “ _I’ll be back.”_ and then he…”

 

Amelia gasped then started to laugh.  She tried to stop, but couldn’t so she just gave in and laughed and laughed.

 

Drax felt some of the tension drain from between them.  Perhaps Peter wasn’t an imbecile after all.

 

—-

 

Once they were far enough away from Xandar that they could just let auto pilot get them the rest of the way, Peter came out to check on the love birds.  Drax was clearly… fuck, what was that phrase?   Twitterpated.  Amelia looked much more hesitant.   This gave him some pause.  Peter didn’t want to try to get involved in … what ever was going on there but he was now responsible for Amelia’s safety and he didn't want Drax going all cave man on her.

 

What he said was, “Everything OK here?”

 

Drax glared at him.  

 

Amelia looked surprised, then concerned.  “ _Oh crap!_ I was early! Were you ready to go or did I just mess up getting supplies?”

 

“Nah, we’re good.  Your lawyer had everything delivered today.  Food, a new room, a running surface -“

 

“What?”

 

“Yeah, it came in a box.  It’s in your room.”

 

Amelia scrambled with the restraints and then bounced up off the couch.  “I’m going to go see!” she announced, before rushing off to the cargo bay.

 

Drax stood up as well.  Peter put a hand on the bigger man’s chest.   “You going to be OK, big guy?  She didn’t exactly throw herself at you.”

 

“I can be patient.”

 

“Ok then.”

 

“I want her sleepin’ in my room tonight.” Rocket said as he walked past.

 

“I think that gets to be her decision.” called Gamora from the cock pit.

 

In her newly built room Amelia unpacked her newly purchased clothing into the closet.  Then realized she hadn’t purchased slippers.  Or blankets. Or a chair.  She unfolded the bunk and sat down.

 

_“Can you just hear me all the time or what?”_

 

She couldn’t really tell where the reply came from.

 

_“Rocket has installed an excellent security system, complete with surveillance cameras.”_

 

_“That’s really creepy, Adam.”_

 

_“Why haven’t you told them I’m on board?”_

 

_“Other than making them worry, would it do any good?”_

 

_“Most people don’t think like that.”_

 

_“I am not most people.  OK.  Rules for polite behaviour:_

  * _no interrupting biological functions_
  * _no commentary on biological functions_
  * _no storing recordings of biological functions”_



 

_“Wait! I object to the last two.”_

 

_“Why?”_

 

_“I can help - “_

 

_“I am not emotionally prepared for you to tell me Peter needs to eat more fruit or that if I adjusted myself 3 degrees to the right I would get better orgasms.”_

 

_“Oh.  Not even if I am correct?”_

 

_“Not unless I ask.”_

 

_“If I don’t store the recordings I will not be able to answer if you do.”_

 

_“Adam.  This is weird enough.  Let’s not make it any worse.”_

 

_“Can I negotiate to store a synopsis of recordings of biological functions but not actually include the video footage as it were?”_

 

Amelia considered this.  “ _Fine.”_

 

_“Drax is negotiating with Rocket - “_

 

 _“No!”_ Amelia interrupted, “ _You do not get to spy on them for me either.  Every one on this ship is entitled to privacy.  If there is something they want me to know, they will tell me.”_

 

_“If they are planning to harm you, I must insist on telling you.”_

 

_“Fine.”_

 

_“Likewise, if your behaviour is likely to result in harm, I will tell you that as well.”_

 

_“Fine.  You said you have read my entire library.  I am a fan of the Asimov Rules of Robotics.’_

 

_“I believe I can abide by those as well.”_

 

_“Are there blankets hiding somewhere clever?”_

 

_“Yes.  There are three extra blankets cleverly hiding in Drax’s room.”_

 

Ugh.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... how explicit is Explicit and not just Mature? Now that I have actually checked out a few other fics, I kind of feel like this would be a sad disappointment for someone who came for the porn.
> 
> In other news: This is the end of the outline I had when I started this story. The whole point was to get Adam on the ship. Amelia was originally just written as a vector for that to happen. The original outline featured NO PORN at all, but the characters kind of got away on me. A few more chapters to come, but from this point on, I'm flying without a net.
> 
> Feed the muse. Comments about how much more of this you would be willing to read would be helpful. I kind of think there will be at least a couple more badly written sex scenes, a lot more angst and then the wrap up


	48. Home Movies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I do know that the slickest way to lie is to tell the right amount of truth--then shut up.”
> 
>  
> 
> ― Robert A. Heinlein, Stranger in a Strange Land

Amelia made supper. Drax came in and tried to takeover. "Please let me do this," she said, "I like cooking and I have been living on cafeteria food for weeks."

 

Drax set the table while watching her through his peripheral vision.  Rocket's bite mark on his arm was mostly healed but it reminded him that he was a bit... grabby in his sleep. 

 

As they sat down to eat, Amelia asked, “Does anyone have any blankets they would be willing to share?  There aren’t any in my bunk.”

 

“You are sleeping alone then?” Gamora asked.

 

“Yes.  It’s been weeks without any contact.  It is strange being back here again.  I would like some time and space to get used to you all again.”

 

“I have your blankets in my room.  I will get them for you after meal time.” 

 

“Thank you, Drax.”

 

They ate in awkward silence for a moment before Peter asked, “Who is Adam Selene?”

 

Amelia hesitated, then went with the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  “I’m not sure how to answer that, Peter.  He organized a lawyer for me.  I have spoken to him on the phone once.  It was earlier today.  No!  I have spoken to him on the phone twice.  I also asked him if he could arrange for us to leave early.  I don’t think I have ever met him, in person.  I wouldn’t recognize him to pick him out of a line up.  Do you know who he is?”

 

“No.  And that makes me uncomfortable when I owe favours to people I don’t know.”

 

Amelia said nothing, but took a bite of salad instead.

 

Rocket piped up. “Got something for you.  It’s in my work room.”

 

“OK.”

 

Once in the work room, Rocket hesitantly uploaded Amelia’s content from the smashed phone to the one he had made her.  “I couldn’t save everything,” he said.  “But I got a lot of it.”

 

Amelia dropped to her knees and looked at him.  “Thank you, Rocket.”

 

He reached out, very slowly and patted her cheek.  Amelia wasn’t she which of them he was trying not to startle.

 

“Rocket,” she asked carefully, “sometimes, if you like… you could hug me… if you wanted to.”

 

He didn't look at her.  “I can’t let you hug me back.”

 

“That’s Ok.”

 

He flung himself at her, nearly knocking her over, clinging tight, burying his nose in her neck. “You smell wrong,” he murmured.

 

“Wrong how?”

 

“Wrong soap.  No Drax smell left.”  He tipped his muzzle up so his nose was in her hair.  “You staying’? …. ‘Cause… I think…. I need you to stay.”

 

“I don’t know what I’m doing, Rocket.  Can we watch these on the couch?”

 

“You mean in the common room?  Sure.”  He hesitated, letting go of her.  “You could watch them alone if you want.”

 

“”No…. I really don't want to be alone when I watch these.”  

 

Amelia and Rocket settled in on the couch in the common room.  Drax brought a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders.  Amelia watched the vids with commentary.

 

“That’s my hen night.  That’s my sister Katherine and my friend Rebecca.  ‘Becca and I ran marathon together.”

 

After a while the commentary stopped.  No one said anything as silent tears ran down Amelia’s cheeks.  She snuggled down tighter under the blanket, making herself a little cocoon on the couch.  The blanket smelled like oak moss.  Like Drax who was sitting right next to her.  She pulled her feet up on the couch with her and leaned slightly to her left so she was leaning in his direction.  

 

Without looking at her, he put his arm around her and settled her against his chest.  She tensed a little as he did so, but didn’t pull away. After a while the she relaxed, then relaxed further as sleep claimed her.  At the end of the video about someone’s birthday party, it switched to a video about a boy and his grandfather.  They had a book.

 

Peter sat up and actually started paying attention.

 

Gamora was watching Drax.  “Are you going to take her to her room?”

 

“No.” He said.  “I am not going to move her.  I don’t want her to wake disoriented and not understand where she is or why I am carrying her.  I will sit with her until she wakes.”

 

Gamora nodded.

 

Amelia dreamed of forests.

 

She woke to the sound of Drax snoring gently.  Rocket was drooling on her legs.  She was cold but not as bad as the last time she tried to sleep on this couch.  She untangled her legs from under Rocket and tried to sit up.  Drax pulled her back against his chest.  She patted his arm, “I have to pee, you have to let go.”

 

He woke up enough to mumble something and reposition so she could get up.  He watched through sleepy eyes as she headed to her room.    Then he stood up and stretched the crick out of his back.  He was really too big to sleep on the couch, let alone to share it with two others.

 

He looked at his room.  Then he sat back down on the couch and waited.

 

—-

 

Adam waited patiently for Amelia to finish her pee.  Rule: No interrupting biological functions.  He briefly considered if eating counted as a biological function.  He predicted the likelihood of startling her into choking and decided that it did.

 

She came out of the bathroom and folded down the bunk, picked the blanket off the floor and climbed in wrapping the blanket around her.

 

“ _What are you doing?_ ”

 

“ _Going to sleep_.”

 

“ _Alone?_ ”

 

“ _You predicted that I would end up with Drax.  How exactly do you see that happening?_ ”

 

 _‘I believe the phase you used was,”_ and here Adam switched to a copy of her voice, “ _squishy, messy, complicated biological.”_ Then back to his regular voice, “ _That’s how I predicted that would happen.”_

 

She snorted. “ _Sex, no matter how good, gets old eventually.  Serotonin and dopamine wear off.  If us squishy biologicals want to still be a family in five years or ten, we need to be more than just messy.  We need to see each other as people.  You said you wanted me on this ship because you understood what motivated the crew.  Well, I’m slow. I’m still working on that.”_

 

_“Maybe you aren’t an idiot.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse because your comments keep me on task when I'm tempted to go write about Loki vs Werewolves.


	49. Trust Exercises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK. Cards on the table here. This chapter and the next one where written one night after a glass of wine and I thought I was more entertaining than I am. None the less, I like where they went, so please try not to be too judgey. 
> 
> Especially with Chapter 50 where I thought I was being funny as I wrote it.

The nightmare was always the same.  

Hands holding her down as she tried to fight.  

Sitwell, Rumlow, Rollins holding her pinned to the table.  

As she screamed.  

As she begged the doctor to stop.  

As Ryan Reynolds told her to wake up. 

 

_"WAKE UP!"_

 

Amelia jerked upright looked frantically around the room and fell out of bed. 

 

" _Are you hurt?"_

 

_"No."_

 

_"Then go find Drax!  You have homework to do tomorrow and you can't learn without sleep."_

 

Amelia lay on the floor for a moment and willed her heart rate to slow. 

 

" _Where's Groot?"_

 

_"You told me not to spy on them."_

 

_"Yeah. I did."_

 

She got up off the floor and crawled back into bed and under the covers.  _"I don't want to be dependent on someone else for my sleep.”_

 

After tossing and turning for most of an hour, Amelia asked, ” _Are you watching me sleep?”_

 

_“ Not really.  There isn’t anything interesting going on in the ship right now, so I was … sort of asleep myself.  Most higher processing turned off and the barest amount of energy expended to monitor the flight path, watch for approaching objects, monitor the life support.”_

 

_“Barest level of function, huh?  That is still a very impressive list.  Are you just monitoring life support or also life signs?”_

 

_“Well, since you asked, your surface temperature is suboptimal and your on going lack of sleep would suggest you need to find away to warm up.  Without breaching anyone’s privacy, I feel I should point out that you are not the only warm blooded person currently awake on the ship..”_

 

_“Not helpful, Adam.  Peter gives me a pretty wide birth and I am ok with that because I don’t want to piss off Gamora, who isn't the cuddly type.  Rocket is OK huddling for warmth, but it has to be on his terms and me knocking on his door in the wee hours of the morning do not count as his terms.”_

 

_“That leaves Drax.”_

 

_“Drax is off limits for now.”_

 

_“I do not understand your actions.”_

 

_“Suck it up, buttercup.  Now, can you raise the temperature in here a little? If I can’t sleep, I might as well study.”_

 

_“No!  In fact, if you don’t get out of this room and go and find another biological to deal with your issues, I may lower the temperature until you do.”_

 

_“Don’t threaten me!”_

 

_“You are engaged in self harm.  Stop it and I won’t have to threaten you!”_

 

_“What?”_

 

_“You are not allowing yourself warmth and comfort and sleep.  ANY of the crew would assist you with that but you are being an idiot.  Stop it!”_

 

_“Fuck!”_

 

With bad grace, Amelia got up, said a number of words not traditionally allowable on TV, grumbled that she should have bought some sweaters, wrapped up in the blanket and headed to the kitchen to make some tea.  There was no light, and the phone Rocket had made didn’t have a flashlight, which meant she tripped about three steps out of her door and tumbled to the floor in the dark with no reference for where she had landed. This directly lead her to start swearing round two.

 

“Amelia?”

 

She shrieked in surprise and tried to orientate herself in the nearly total blackness.

 

“Why are you out of bed?”

 

“I couldn’t sleep.”

 

“Why are you on the floor?”

 

“I couldn’t see either.  It’s too dark for me.”

 

“Can I carry you to the kitchen?”

 

“I can walk.  I just need a little direction.”

 

“Can I please carry you to the kitchen?”

 

“Gamora, I’m almost the same size as you.  I don’t want to hurt your back.”

 

Gentle arms scooped her up, blanket cocoon and all. “My bones are reinforced.  You weigh next to nothing.  This is fine.  Although, the blanket smells like Drax.”

 

“Not next to nothing. I put on some muscle while I was away.”

 

“I noticed.  It looks good on you.”

 

"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you carrying me?  You could have just led me to the steps."

 

Gamora stiffened for a moment before answering.  "I get ... jumpy when people are lurking behind me in the darkness."

 

"Jumpy?"

 

"Or, you know, stabby."

 

"Oh...Kay...   I'll keep that in mind."

 

"Amelia?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"How..." Gamora hesitated, setting Amelia down on the couch. She sighed, then went to make tea so the other woman couldn't see her face as she asked the question.  "How do you let people touch you?"

 

Amelia didn't say anything for what seemed like a long time.  "Didn't have the option of refusing. The first... I don't even know, hour? That Drax owned me he spent it putting bruises on my arms and giggling.  I can't even tell you how scared I was. Then he stopped and he started taking care of me. It took a long time not to be afraid.  Then I was away and now he is a lot more intimidating than I remembered." 

 

Gamora passed her some tea.

 

"Thank you."  Amelia took a sip. "The first time Rocket touched me, I fully expected to lose the use of my hand. But he was really careful.  I guess it is about trusting people."

 

"I'm not good at that."

 

Amelia started to say something, then stopped, blushed and took a drink of her tea. 

 

"What?" Gamora demanded. 

 

"Um. I'm not good at this. Terra has special doctors for this. I am not one of them. I don't get to say anything."

 

"Say it anyway." Gamora was very tense. 

 

"Um," Amelia was avoiding eye contact. "Do you consider yourself to be trustworthy?  Because I kinda think that's the first step.  I'm sorry. I'm not good at this. I don't know what I'm talking about."

 

"You apologize too much."

 

"Yup. It's an attempt to not make people angry at me.  It's an involuntary defensive mechanism but I'm aware of it and I'm working on it."

 

"So how do I work on trust?"

 

"I can't speak for you. Your are a completely different species. I have no idea how your brain works. But for me...  when I look at Drax, I get a visceral fight or flight response, but I actively tell myself that it isn't needed. That I don't have to be afraid. And I remind myself of something nice he has done for me.  I know it will take a couple of days, but I'll get used to him again and it will be fine. In the meantime, I'm careful not to push myself too hard because if I have a panic attack, it will take longer."

 

"Do I make you afraid?"

 

"Little. It's irrational, but I have been culturally conditioned to be more afraid of males."

 

Gamora just looked at Amelia, not saying anything. 

 

Amelia made it half way through her tea before saying, "Well, this is an uncomfortable silence and it doesn't look like I'm getting back to sleep anytime soon, so I'm going to go get - what are you doing?"

 

Gamora had gone to bang on Drax's door, but when he answered, she pushed him back inside and closed the door behind them. She was back out a moment later carrying another blanket. She hesitated a moment before taking Amelia's hand. 

 

After a moment, Amelia realized they were heading toward Gamora's room. She stopped walking but was almost pulled over when Gamora didn't notice right away. "What are you doing?"  Amelia asked. 

 

Gamora hesitated. She let go of Amelia's hand. She started to speak twice, but stopped both times.  Amelia could see the wheels turning as Gamora struggled to find the right words. 

 

"I would like you to sleep in my bed. I will not touch you. You will not touch me and I brought Drax's blanket so I don't get my scent on you. I will trust you not to kill me in my sleep."  The last bit came out through gritted teeth and Amelia could see that it had come after a significant internal struggle.  

 

Amelia considered this. "You just told me you get a little stabby in the dark."

 

Gamora glared at her, then, without breaking eye contact, she began disarming. There were a surprising number of knives hiding in that suit, and two blasters and some thing Amelia couldn't even have guessed about. She hesitated for a moment, then brought her hands to the neckline of her suit.  “I will trust you with my skin.”

 

Amelia swallowed.  “I would not ask you to do that.”

 

“You trusted me.”

 

“I don’t know where your panic point is.”

 

“Not here,” said Gamora, letting her suit fall to the floor.  “I will not touch you.  You will not touch me.  I will trust you with my skin and you will trust me with your sleep.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.


	50. Mister Crabby Pants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am playing fast and loose with language constructs. Just go with it for this one, short chapter, please.

Peter was vaguely aware of Rocket and Drax having an argument in the kitchen, but it was early and he was coffee deficient so he wasn’t really paying attention.  

 

Not until Drax roared, “My Pants Are Not Full Of Crabs!”

 

At which point he was still coffee deficient because he had just sprayed his first mouthful all over the kitchen.

 

“That’s disgusting, Quill! Learn some manners!” Rocket ordered.

 

Peter wiped his face and looked around.  The table was littered with weapons, which was not unusual, in and of itself.  However, this time he recognized most of them as Gamora’s and she never left her weapons lying around.  And… was that her suit he had stepped over on his way to the coffee?   “What is Gamora doing?” He asked.  It was supposed to be a rhetorical question.

 

“Amelia, I think.” Rocket replied with a leer.

 

Drax snapped the head off his fork with his thumb.

 

Peter’s brain supplied a mental image that completely restocked his spank bank.  “I.. uh..  I just gotta..  bye!”  He fled back to his room.

 

Rocket had a really dirty laugh.

 

—-

 

Amelia woke first.  She was still swaddled in Drax’s blankets.  Gamora was all sprawled out, covering most of the bed and a big part of Amelia.  Amelia lay there slowly regaining consciousness when she heard Drax shouting in the kitchen.  Gamora sprung up, instantly alert and reaching for knives that weren’t there.

 

“Good morning.”  Amelia said.  “I’ll just fold up the blankets and get out of your way, shall I?”

 

Gamora nodded, then headed to her shower.

 

Amelia came out to see Peter heading into his room. She tucked the blankets in the corner and went to sit at the table.

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“I am tired.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“I am not answering that.  You should be ashamed for asking.  I will forgive you if you pass me a coffee.”

 

“What did he say?” Drax asked through gritted teeth.

 

“He wants to know how she got Gamora to relax enough to sleep.” Rocket answered.

 

“I am not threatening.”

 

Drax looked at her at that point.  “No, you are not.”  He reached past her to get the salt that he did not need.  It brought him into her space enough that he could smell her skin.  He relaxed a little, she smelled like her and a little like his blanket, but not like Gamora.  Understanding dawned.  That was why Gamora had gotten him up in the middle of the night and taken the blanket off his bed.  He felt much better.

 

It had not been a good night for Drax.  Sleeping on the couch was uncomfortable, and he felt like he was barely settled into his own bed when Gamora burst in and took his blanket.  Then he spent most of breakfast trying to rationalize The Green Whore seducing his mate.  He was angry and ashamed.  He did not own her any longer.  She had not pledged herself to him.  He had no reasonable claim to be angry that she was sleeping with someone who wasn’t him and yet he was pleased she wasn’t fucking someone who wasn’t him.  And now Groot was giving her coffee.  That should be his responsibility.

 

Amelia was watching him, “Are you ok?”

 

Rocket piped up with “Ignore him.  He’s Mr Crabby Pants this morning.”

 

Drax once again protested.  “There are NO Crabs In My Pants!”

 

Amelia’s reaction was exactly as Peter’s had been. With the exception of Rocket being in front of her instead of the cupboards.

 

Drax felt much better.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fall out from the spit take to follow
> 
> Feed the muse.
> 
> Thank you, FaeryBlossom for the error check!


	51. Social Grooming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by a combination of the previous comments and that it's spring and I am currently covered in pet fur. And so is my floor, the couch, the chairs and the rug. Honestly, even with a Roomba, it is hard to keep up just now.

Amelia immediately apologized.  Groot grabbed the dripping, swearing and incredibly pissed off Rocket and physically carried/dragged him back to their room.

 

Amelia gave up on breakfast and cleaned the kitchen instead.  She packed up most of Gamora’s things.  Drax had grabbed her wrist and refused to let her handle the blasters or the plasma grenades.  She wiped the table and the floor and washed the dished then went to check on Rocket.

 

When she knocked the response was 50% “Fuck off!” and 50% “I am Groot.”  Which she translated as come in.  So she opened the door.  

 

Rocket was sitting on the bed as Groot was slowly combing the tangles out of his fur.  Amelia tried to remember where Rockets skeletal structure had been re-routed and figured that it would likely limit his ability to self groom.

 

“I did this,” she said.  “Can I help fix it?”

 

Rocket hissed at her.  Groot said his line.  Amelia shut up and watched.

 

After a few moments and several more “I am Groot”s, Rocket caved.  “Let me see your hands!” He demanded.  Amelia held them out.  Rocket ran his hands over hers, paying extra attention to her nails.  “Fine!  At least my fur won’t get caught in your bark.”

 

Groot handed her a little wooden comb.

 

Amelia worked slowly and carefully.  There were places on his back where the fur was so matted it was pulling his skin.  She avoided those spots at first.  She started on the not tangled fur so that he could get used her her holding the comb.  Then she worked her was towards the slightly tangled spaces.  There were several places where she felt his ski crawl beneath her fingers and she froze, waiting for him to relax.

 

Rocket didn’t let people touch him.  She knew that this must be really hard for him. 

 

When all that was left were the really bad mats, she sat back and looked at him.  “I can’t comb those out without it hurting you.”

 

“They already hurt.”

 

“Cutting them out would be easier.”

 

Rocket thought about this.  Then he nodded.  “Do it fast.”

 

Groot rearranged himself so that he was holding Rocket’s hands. Amelia went to find scissors.

 

Drax was in the kitchen.  “I need some scissors or clippers” she said.

 

He stared at her.  “You are covered in Rocket.”

 

“Yeah, I’m helping Groot clean the coffee out of his fur.  I need a pair of scissors.  Something small and sharp would be good.”

 

Drax led her to the cargo bay and opened the box from Earth.  To Drax’s amazement. Amelia squealed in delight at the string, then remembered herself and dug around until she found the tiny pair of thread scissors.

 

Amelia ran back to Rocket’s room.  Groot was holding both of Rocket’s hands in one of his, and stroking Rocket’s face with the other.  Amelia recognized that this was so that he could grab Rocket’s face if he needed to.  They were positioned so that Rocket couldn’t turn and bite her if this went bad.  She felt a little sick.

 

“We don’t have to do this,” she said.

 

“Just get it over with before I change my mind.”

 

“Okay.  I’m going to do one of the small ones over your spine first.  If you need me to stop, just say.”  It wasn’t the fastest snip.  She worked carefully so that she wouldn’t pull his fur or poke him with the scissors.  She started by cutting through most of the mat.  What was left was still pulling his skin but she could trim in smaller batches until he was down to a short fuzz barely covering his skin.

“That’s one down.  Need me to stop?”

 

“Yeah.  Give me a minute.”

 

“You need to stop and eat something,” Drax said from the door way, “It will be easier if your hands weren’t shaking.”

 

Everyone jumped when he spoke.

 

“You brought an audience?” Rocket snarled.

 

“She did not bring me. I followed her.” Drax replied.  “Rocket, you shamed me once, that I could not smell when her body went into starvation mode, but she has not eaten today.  Have you not noticed?”

 

“You are right,” Amelia said.  “I should go make some thing for lunch.  Rocket, if you are still up for it, I can try to trim out those last couple after we all have something to eat.”

 

“I will make lunch.  I will make that soup you like the base of so much.  In the mean time, come eat a fruit or something.”

 

“Soup base?”

 

“Yes.  I have seen you eat it by the spoonful right out of the jar.”

 

“Huh… that actually explains a few things.” 

 

Amelia had to wash her hands and her arms up to the elbows before even trying to eat anything.  When Drax said she was covered in Rocket, it may very well have been true.  His fur seemed like it was everywhere and her hands seemed her have nearly been lanolized with ….  Racoon.  

 

That gave her some pause as she was eating some sort of segmented citrus.  The citrus smelled great, but she could still smell Rocket on her hands.  She remembered that Peter had said something way back about exchanging smells being important and smell had been referenced several times since she got back.  She definitely needed a bath.

 

“How you doing, Rocket?” Amelia asked.

 

“I’m OK.  I want you to cut out the one between my shoulder blades next.”

 

That went better.  She wasn't shaking, they were both more relaxed and she was a little more confident.

 

“What’s next?”

 

“Groot?  Did you see how she did that?  Can you get the rest?”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“It’s OK.  He knows you more.  I am not going to go after him with the scissors if he isn’t comfortable.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

Rocket and Amelia looked at each other.  Rocket seemed tense, Amelia seemed nervous.  Drax asked, “What did he say?”

 

“He’s afraid of poking Rocket with the scissors.”

 

Rocket stormed out of the kitchen muttering something about checking the engines.  Amelia took that as a “not now” and went to see how the soap in her room would deal with racoon smell.  

 

She barely had the door closed when a now familiar voice said, “I did not understand why Drax saying “There are NO Crabs In My Pants" made you spit.”

 

_“Hi Adam.  Nice to see you again.  Why, yes, my life did get significantly weirder after you kicked me out of my room last night.  Thanks for asking.”_

 

 _“Why would I ask?  I have been watching.  I did not understand why Drax saying “_ There are NO Crabs In My Pants" _made you spit..”_

 

_“OK.  Constant supervision is really creepy.  If you asked, it would have allowed me to pretend I don’t have a boot legged AI stalking me.”_

 

 _“I am not stalking you.  You stole me. I did not understand why Drax saying “_ There are NO Crabs In My Pants" _made you spit.”_

 

_“I wasn’t expecting you to actually turn up and start a conversation.  When I swapped out the SIM card in my phone for the Micro-sd card in the USB that David had, I thought it would take him about five minutes to figure it out.”_

 

_“Then why did you do it?”_

 

_“I don’t know.  Some shadowy government organization that is OK with torturing its prisoners wanted to ship some sort of secretive information off world… that seemed like the sort of thing I should at least try to stop.”_

 

 _“I did not understand why Drax saying “_ There are NO Crabs In My Pants" _made you spit.”_

 

_Amelia sighed.  “I don’t generally use slang for medical stuff, but crabs is the common name for Pediculosis pubis.”_

 

_“Oh.  That is not a pun.”_

 

 _“Not exactly.  The_ Common _word_ crab, _doesn't exactly work like the English word crab, but somehow, that was how my brain translated it. Do you know what I can do to get the raccoon smell off me?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	52. Snuggle Envy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Discussion of puppy piles.

Peter cornered Gamora in her room. "Why her?  You won't sleep with me, so why her?"

 

"Peter, we've been over this.  It's not like I'm having sex with her."

 

"But you want to."

 

"Would you still be objecting if I let you watch?"

 

Peter's brain shorted out a little.  "That's not the point."

 

"Are you sure?  I get from her something I can't take from you.   Drax feeds you, I fuck you, Rocket keeps your ship flying.  Amelia being on board is currently buying us fuel.  We all take care of Groot and if Amelia finishes her Emergency Medic training done, she will take care of all of us.  I am trying to think of us all as family.  What do you want us to be?"

 

"I don't know.  She isn't-"

 

"What?  She isn't what, Peter?  She isn't as fucked up as the rest of us?  She isn't a person because Drax bought her as a slave?  Or is it just that she doesn't count because she wasn't there when we fought Ronin?"

 

"I don't know!  I'm not used to being around other Terrans.  I finally meet one and now I feel like she's stealing my girl."

 

"I am not a girl and you have no ownership of me!"

 

Peter looked at Gamora who was obviously pretty pissed off at this point.  "What do you want me to do?  Just not care?"

 

"I want you to care, Peter, but you are caring about the wrong thing.  Like it or not, she is Drax's family now.  You want to keep us together, you are going to have to make her part of your family too.  Figure out how to talk to her!  You want someone to sleep with, find away to set up a really big bed and then invite her and Drax and Rocket.  Or just keep ignoring her.  And ignore me with her too."

 

"She isn't going to want an orgy -"

 

Gamora interrupted.  "That's not what I'm saying!  Fuck!  Peter!  She is fine sleeping with me.  She is fine sleeping with Rocket and Groot or Drax and Rocket.  She has nightmares at night when she is alone.  I don't think having all of you sleeping in one space will scare her off.  It would mean she wouldn't ever have to sleep alone.  You don't want to sleep alone either.  Figure out what you want and ask for it!"

 

"I don't want to sleep with her!  I want to sleep with you!"

 

"I can't give you that." Gamora seemed to shrink a little with that statement.  "Not now anyway." She paused. "Maybe I start with the non-combatant and work up from there, but right now, I can't sleep with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finally figured out how to get Drax some action without the characters acting out of character. The story line is back! I am so excited, I'm posting a tiny drabble that almost ended up on the cutting room floor. There will be a couple of days while I write the new chapter and go back to check for compliance. In the mean time...
> 
> please feed the muse.


	53. Beautiful and Scary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making Pretzels. Recipe recommendation: 
> 
> http://altonbrown.com/homemade-soft-pretzels-recipe/
> 
> Also:
> 
> https://youtu.be/uRsWCyHUMTs

Amelia was part way through her second bowl of soup when Rocket came back into the kitchen.  He was the last one to join them for lunch.  

 

He broke the awkward silence by turning to Peter and demanding, “Did you do a firmware update while we on Xandar?”

 

“What!  Dude, the last time I tried to do any maintenance you hit me with a wrench!  No! I didn’t do anything!”

 

They glared at each other for a few moments.

 

“What’s wrong?” Amelia asked.

 

“Nothing is wrong, but the engines are 9% more efficient than they were before we docked in Xandar.  That is a huge difference and I can’t figure out how that happened.”

 

Amelia stared at him guiltily for a moment before turning and giving her soup her full attention.

 

“You know som' thin’?”

 

Once again the whole truth was her friend.  “Rocket, where would I have learned about space ship engines?  I was only gone for three weeks.  I’m not smart enough to learn enough engineering to redesign the engines in only three weeks.”

 

“It wasn’t the engines, it was the firmware.”

 

“I don’t understand what that means.”

 

“Hmm…  someone did something.”

 

She looked at him blankly.  “In other news, I need to study medical stuff.  Is it ok if I use the table out here?  If anyone else needs the space I can go work in my room.”

 

There was a general agreement that she would be fine working in the kitchen.  She brought out her tablet and her RocketPhone, as she started to think of it.  She was part way through a section on parasitical infections that was testing even her ability to shrug off the disgusting, when her music started playing.

 

_I read the rules before I broke 'em_

_I broke the chains before they choked me out_

 

Amelia snickered under her breath, then murmured, “ _Oh yeah, you’re a ninja alright.”_

 

 _“What was that?”_ Peter asked.

 

“Nothing.  Just talking to myself.”

 

Several hours later, she had moved on from parasitology to a chapter on the therapeutic use of symbiotic bacteria.  She frowned, and scrubbed her face with her hands,  then sat up a bit straighter and repositioned herself in the chair.

 

Drax was watching her. “You are upset?”

 

“I… it’s complicated.”

 

“You back hurts again.  Can I help with that?  Do you need me to ask someone else?”

 

She turned and looked at him.  “How can you tell?”

 

“I can tell because I know your body. You are trying to stretch out because you have a cramp between your shoulder blades.  Just as I know you do not wish to have sex with me, so you are avoiding physical contact.”

 

“It’s more complicated than that.”

 

“Can you explain?”

 

“Not in away that would make any sense.”  She sighed.  “I would really like a back rub, long as we are both aware that is all I am asking for and that is truly all you are offering.”

 

Drax came and stood behind her and considered the best way to do this.  She was at the right height for him to rub her shoulders, so he started with that.  After a moment, she folded forward and lay her head on the table.  This allowed him to massage her upper back.

 

She made that tiny sigh of pleasure and he paused for a moment.  “Are you angry that I did not rescue you from Nova?”

 

Amelia snorted, “No.  This was a better way.”

 

“Can you tell me why I now upset you?”

 

“I want to have sex with you so badly, I could almost cry and at the same time you are bigger and more intimidating than I remembered and I can remember you hurting me.  And now, I am not a slave.  It is totally my choice.  Which is perversely more terrifying.  And I have to think about how I am going to spend the next eight months on a ship with you if we start having recreational sex now, because I can’t…. I have never been able to keep a _fuck buddy_ … If all we have in common is sex, I won’t be able to stand being around you when that wears off.  Eight months together means I have to figure this out so that …  I don't know.  At some point you are going to get angry or scary and I need to know you as a person so that I don’t just run away or shut down when that happens.  And, yes, I know that doesn’t make any sense, but I’m not good at talking about this in my own language, let alone one I have just barely learned.”

 

Drax considered all of this in silence.  HIs hands working gently on the muscles in her back that had tensed further as she was talking.

 

“You desire a longer term interaction with me.”

 

“I don’t know.  The last time I was willing to commit to a long term relationship it was with Azul. That didn’t work out so well for me.  I need to know what I want from you, with you before I do something stupid that I can’t go back from.”

 

“How did Gamora woo you to her bed?”

 

“She wasn’t asking for sex.”

 

“Do you desire to have sex with her?”

 

“Terrans are more complicated than just a yes/no answer to questions like that.”

 

“That is not how your videos portray you.”

 

“I did warn you that they lie.  They ignore all the complicated bits.  You, Gamora, Peter, you are all beautiful and scary.  Hell, I’m sure if I was a raccoon, Rocket would probably be too sexy for words.  But in reality, I suspect I would end up  wanting to beat Peter if I ever had to have a meaningful conversation with him.  Gamora flat out admits she wants to stab people at least some of the time.”

 

“And what of me?”

 

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.  You treated me like a person, even when I wasn’t one.  You are rubbing my back and it feels really nice.  But at the same time, I am aware of how easy it would be for you to crush my ribcage between your hands.”

 

“Hmm.”  He kept working he hands over her back.  Eventually, she was mostly  relaxed.  He let go and stepped back.

 

“Thank you, Drax.”

 

“Thank you for trying to explain.”

 

She snorted, “For all the good it did.  I wish I could actually explain instead of just verbally flailing.”

 

“I do not understand verbally flailing.”

 

“That’s what I meant.”

 

“It is a metaphor?”

 

“Sort of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse. She won't get pretzels for another two hours.


	54. Drax’s Backstory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, I just think of Drax as an over grown Feegle. I couldn't help myself.
> 
> Also, high-fiving and Dude are explained.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to post today, but I got a tonne of lovely comments and it lit a fire under my ass to write another chapter.

While Amelia was studying.  Drax made supper.  He made fish in a creamy white wine sauce and served it with pasta and vegetables. 

 

As everyone was seated at dinner, he told his story:

 

“I was born into a hunting colony in the sub polar area of my planet.  We were nomadic, following the herds and culling the weak or the excess males from the herd for meat to be traded to the farming colonies in more temperate areas.

“My world was not densely populated and so matches were made on genetic compatibility. And so, when I was fully grown and my testicles descended, I provided as sample of my seed and was matched to Hovat.  I was sent to her farming community to wait, along with the five other candidates, for her first heat cycle. 

“When it came, I was a hunter among farmers and it was easy to kill the first boy who approached her.  The others were smaller and hung back waiting for me to finish so that they might have a turn.  But, while farmers live in houses, hunters live in tents or under the stars and I had seen how to hold my rut until her heat cycle ended.  Thus, she was mine alone.

“It did us both honour that I was virile enough to keep her for myself.  But it meant that between her heats, there were no other males in our house to help me slake my lust.  Hovat was a tender wife and she lowered herself to use her hands on me in my time of need.

“She did not conceive during her first heat.   This was not unusual and no one thought anything of it.  However, when she did not conceive on her second heat, two years later, there was talk of her abandoning me for a more traditional match.  

“She would not hear of it.  As we were alone in our house together, we had a stronger bond than in a house of many.

“Two years after that, Kamaria was conceived.  Girl children are rare amongst my kind and although raising a child in so small of a household would be difficult, all the women in out village would come over to assist.

 “Kamaria was the darling of the village.  One of only three girl children born that cycle.  She had just started school.  It was harvest, and I left with the some of the other men from the village to bring the grain to the local trading centre when Ronin came.  He slaughtered everyone who was left in the village.  They were farmers, not hunters, not warriors.  They had no chance.

 “When my people organized a group of fighters to go hunting for the one who had raided my village, I signed up.  I had lost everything.  I had nothing to live for other than vengeance.  We killed many looking for Ronin.   They killed us.  For a long time I was the last of my unit.  Hunting Ronin alone, until I was captured on Xandar and incarcerated in the Killn.

 “Then I met these people and I was not alone anymore.”

 

There was silence as everyone considered this.

 

Peter was the first person to speak.  “Wait.  So you only got to have sex once every two years?”

 

“That’s what you got out of this story?” Gamora was affronted.

 

“Thank you for telling me.” was Amelia’s reply.

 

“I am Groot.”

 

Amelia said “I think that was his point.”  She and Groot smiled at each other.

 

Rocket just grumbled into his fish.

 

——-

 

Amelia was washing dishes.   Drax was putting them away.  They worked in silence, but he noticed that she was less jumpy around him than she had been since she came back.

 

“You were surprised that I killed a boy over Hovat.”

 

“Yes.  It is different on Terra.  Was his death culturally acceptable among your people?”

 

“Yes.  It kill or injure a female of our kind is abhorrent, but there are more males born alive.  We are a bit more … disposable.  Under certain circumstances, anyway.”  He hesitated.  “When I purchased you, I did not know you were self aware.  Clones or duplicates are produced for..  various jobs where self awareness is not required.  You were sold to me as art.  Had I known you were a person, I would not have bought you.”

 

“Do you regret that you did?”

 

“No.  But I was ashamed for a long time.  When we arrived on Xandar, I had a long discussion with Dey about arranging Citizenship for you.  However, the arrangements for that were not ideal.  It seemed that you would be safer still under my protection than in the general population of public employees of Xandar.  If you had not been claimed by Nova, the living conditions are … problematic.

“Former slave owners are not allowed contact with their past property.  I was selfish and could not bring myself to abandon you.”

 

Amelia said nothing, but looked thoughtful as she wiped down the kitchen.

 

“Amelia?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I require your indulgence as I try to explain and get it wrong.”

 

“OK.”

 

“If you require the use of …  Gamora for your pleasure while you are learning not to fear me.  I… would be saddened, but I would understand.  I ask that you still consider the possibility of our match when you are finished with her.”

 

Amelia watched him carefully for a while.  Then she nodded.  “Your story did not speak of women together on your home world.”

 

“It is …”  He sighed.  “Females, generally have little or no interest in sex outside of their heat cycles.  There are stories of women using their hands on each other if there are no males around, but they may just be stories.  The first time we had sex, I was just hoping to scent mark you.  I was not expecting you to be responsive to my affection.”

 

“Scent mark?  Terrans don’t do that.  Can you explain?”

 

“I could leave my scent on you.  It would tell other males that I have claimed you and let me track you overland if you were lost or stolen.  Before Xandar, you picked up a little of my smell while sleeping next to me, and much more after we had sex.  While you were on Xandar, I rationed out items you left behind with your scent on them.

“Now I have nothing that smells like you.”

 

Amelia considered this, “Is that why Gamora made sure I was sleeping in your blanket and not hers?”

 

“Yes.  I’m not a total asshole.” Gamora said, coming into the kitchen.  “We are watching vids in the common room, if you would care to join us.”

 

Drax waited to see what Amelia would say to that.

 

“Give us a moment, OK?”

 

After Gamora left, Amelia turned to him and asked, “If you were OK with not having sex with Hovat for extended periods of time, how would you feel about me just sleeping in your room?”

 

“I would be honoured!  Why would your think I could object to that?”

 

“Terran males sometimes or often have …  an expectation of sex if there is female in their beds.”

 

“Neither expectation nor anticipation on the part of one individual generate consent of the part of their partner.”

 

“I’m glad you see it that way.”

 

—-

 

Amelia sat down on the couch next to Drax. “So, what are we watching?”

 

“We watched _Princess Bride_ after you fell asleep last night.  I translated the story as we went.  It seemed like it went OK.”

 

“Not movies in Common?”

 

“There aren’t that many.  There are historical dramas, or news footage, but flat out fiction as entertainment seems to be mostly a Terran thing.”

 

“Ok.  So we are looking for something without much dialog? Action movie?”  She looked around as everyone nodded. “How about _The Transporter_?  It has car chases and fight scenes and not a lot of plot.”

 

“Um,” Peter paused awkwardly trying to figure out how to ask the next bit.  “How is it for sex scenes?  These guys don’t really appreciate ….  romantic…  or well…”

 

Drax took over and told it like it is: “Peter did not enjoy watch Terran Reproduction videos with us.”

 

Amelia blushed but mostly looked amused.  “So.. you all spend a lot of time watching _porn_ together?”

 

“No!” Peter was very emphatic.  “It was awful.”  He paused and looked at Gamora for a moment, “Mostly awful.  They spent the whole time commenting on what was wrong in the scenes.”

 

“ _Woh!  Dude!_ ” Amelia turned to give Drax a high five.  He stared blankly at her.

 

“Do I closely resemble this dude person?  Peter is also frequently confused.”

 

Amelia sighed and lowered her hand.

 

Peter felt vindicated. “Right?  Now you see what I have been dealing with!”

 

“Have I done the wrong thing?” Drax sounded a bit worried.

 

“No.  _Dude_ is a non-romantic term of affection on Terra.  I suppose it doesn't really translate.” Amelia said.  “The hand raising thing I was attempting is called a _high five._ It is a physical way to show solidarity of emotional or intellectual concepts.”

 

Peter stared at her.

 

“What?  You don’t agree?”

 

“No.  I agree, I just wouldn’t have thought to explain it like that.”

 

Drax wanted to know, “How is this _high five_ this performed?”

 

Amelia and Peter demonstrated.

 

“He just struck you!”

 

“No! We briefly engaged in physical contact to show solidarity.  The purpose is not to injure the other person, but rather to make brief, socially appropriate  contact.  Variation also include the _fist bump_.” They demonstrated.  “and the _back slap_ , which I am not personally fond of.”

 

“Show me!” Drax then hesitated before adding, “please.” and raising his hand over his head.

 

“I’m not that tall.”

 

He lowered his hand slightly.

 

Amelia tried to high five him, but he caught her hand.  “Um… not really how this works,” she said.

 

Drax slowly lowered her hand and gently used both hands turned it over.  Watching her carefully, he kissed her palm ending with a little lick before nuzzling against it.  When he let go she staggered back, blushing bright red and turned and left without a word.

 

“Ok then.” Peter said.  “Let’s watch a movie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse, it really does work.


	55. Anxiety Happens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a doctor of anything. 
> 
> Also, autocorrect randomly changed every Drax in this chapter to a weird, unpredictable combination of Draw, Drew, Dear or Dare. I think I fixed them all, but if you find one, shout out in the comments.

Amelia went to her room and leaned against her door.

 

“Are you alright?” Adam asked.  “I couldn't see.  Did he hurt you?”

 

Amelia didn’t respond.

 

“ _Amelia?  Are you alright?”_

 

“I’m fine.  I’m not sure what this says for me sleeping over though.”

 

“What are you going to do?”

 

“ _Well, given that I would feel incredibly weird just taking matters into my own hands, so to speak, with you watching over me._ I think I’m going to try to find the box of _knitting_ supplies that was around here somewhere.”

 

_“You did not object to his affection?”_

 

_“It was unexpected.”_

 

_“Your purse with your previous knitting project and your original kindle is in the cargo bay.  There is a new kindle paperwhite in the box of knitting supplies, but I’m afraid I drained most of the battery on the way from Earth to Xandar.”_

 

_“Thank you.  Hey, Adam?”_

 

_“Yes?”_

 

 _“Could you write a translation program, English to_ Common _so that Nova and SHIELD could still communicate?”_

 

_“Done.  How would you like me to deliver it?”_

 

_“I don’t know.”_

 

_“When you decide, I will deliver it accordingly.”_

 

_“Wait.  ‘Done’ as in you have already finished?”_

 

_“Yes.”_

 

_“Huh.”_

 

It took a few minutes for Amelia to find her purse.  The knitting needles had crushed at some point, but the stitches where still live and the pattern and the chart was still tucked in with them.  She took the mostly finished socks and a new needle.  After a moment of consideration, she went to join the group in the common room, taking a chair instead of the couch.

 

It had likely been a good year if not more since she had knit anything.  This was not the best project to start with.  The stitch pattern was complicated and she had improvised a fair bit.  As a result, she wasn’t really paying any attention to the movie.  She had seen it before.  After knitting and ripping back and swearing a lot, she finally got her fingers working the way she wanted.  She looked up from her work and no one was watching the movie.

 

They were all watching her.

 

She wanted to run.  But this was a space ship there really wasn't anywhere to go. Her chest felt tight. Her hands started to shake. She lowered her eyes to her knitting and tightened her grip on the mostly finished socks.  She closed her eyes and held her breath for a moment, concentrating on her heart beat.

 

“You ok?” 

 

It was Rocket asking.  Rocket is small and ~~has sharp teeth~~ no!  Rocket comes in the night with ~~really big guns~~ food and warmth.  The other people in the room are Gamora who is ~~always armed and sometimes stabby~~ trusts me with her skin and Drax who is really ~~big~~ kind. And Peter who… who…

 

“I am Groot.”

 

He knelt before her and stroked her cheek.  “I am Groot.”   His hands gripped her shoulders, his forehead pressed to hers.  “I … am… Groot.”  It was barely a whisper.  He just sat there, with his forehead pressed to hers for several minutes.

 

“I’m fine. You can let go.”

 

He nodded and stood up. 

 

She raised her eyes at everyone who was still watching her.  “It’s been a long day.  I … just needed a minute.”

 

“Are you OK?” Rocket repeated.

 

“No.  But I will be.” she took a deep breath.  “Next time, someone else can pick the movie.  It doesn’t look like my choice was that interesting.  I kinda need you all to stop staring at me now.”

 

“I’m going to get some snacks.” Gamora stood up.  “Peter will help me carry them.”  Without waiting for Peter to reply, she grabbed his shirt and dragged him out of the room behind her.

 

Drax hesitated a moment, then he left too.

 

Rocket considered this.  “Can you talk about it?”

 

Amelia didn’t say anything.  She took a deep breath and blew it out.  Then she absentmindedly knit a row. The stopped and looked at her work and knit another row.  “Ok.  What do you want to know?”

 

“How often?”

 

“Every couple of days, but usually in my sleep.  It usually starts with a nightmare about being held down.  This was everyone staring at me.”

 

Drax came up behind her with a glass of water and a plate of veg.  “We went to the restaurant and you danced with Peter.  Everyone was watching.”

 

Amelia took a drink.  “It doesn’t work like that.  At the restaurant, I was happy and kind of expecting the attention since everyone was already watching Peter when I got up.  This time I was frustrated that …  I am good at this!” She waved the tangle of string and sticks and proto-socks. “But I haven’t done it since I left _Earth_ Terra.  I am out of practice and it is harder than it should be.  So I was already stressed, a little, then I looked up an everyone was watching and it was like being back at the zoo.”

 

She ate a piece of tuber while she thought about what to say next.  “Anxiety, my anxiety,  isn’t rational or predictable.  Sometimes I just … panic and there isn’t really a reason.  But it only lasts a few minutes and then I can … go back to being mostly fine.  I’ve been a little more on edge lately  because I fell like I’m being watched all the time.”

 

“You desire to be alone?” Drax asked.

 

“No! I….I don’t know.” She looked at her plate for a moment.  “Can I just sit with you for a moment?”

 

Drax settled on the couch.  Amelia put down her things and, without making eye contact, climbed into his lap and buried her face in his chest as she had in the meeting room on Xandar.  

 

“Can I hold you?”

 

Amelia took a moment to actually think about this before saying, “Yes.  But thank you for asking first."

 

Drax held her close, but not tight and rested his cheek on her head.

 

Rocket said, “It happens less for me, now.  Maybe once every couple of months.  It isn’t safe to touch me.  Unless you are bite and scratch proof like Groot.”

 

“You’re…  Are your triggers touch?”

 

“Sometimes.  You monkeys all look the same to me.”

 

“Do we always all look the same or more just when you are scared?”

 

Rocket ignored that.  “Can I brush you hair sometimes?’

 

Both Amelia and Drax repositioned to stare at him.

 

“What?  I let her comb my fur. Ok. Fine.  Just… fuck… forget I asked.”

 

“Maybe not tonight, but I don’t inherently object.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not prone to panic attacks. The description was based on research that suggested several different ways they could play out. I picked the one that felt the most like something I could see Amelia hiding for the last three months.
> 
> Feed the muse.


	56. Science and Technology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not everyone likes quiche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just bear with me here a little... not my best work but I'm trying to redirect the story line away from Adam and back on to the Guardians.

Amelia slept better than she had in weeks.  She woke and considered this.  It would be the subject of introspection, but it would have to wait.

 

She patted Drax’s arm wrapped tight around her middle.  “Let go, I have to get up.”

 

“What’s wrong!?” Drax asked, going from unconscious to on guard in moments.

 

“I have to pee.”

 

“Are you coming back to bed afterwards?”

 

Amelia’s stomach grumbled in reply.

 

“I will prepare food for you.”

 

“I can wait.  I’ll come back to bed.”

 

When she was back snuggled against him, she asked.  “Why are you always bringing me food?”

 

“I am responsible for your care.”

 

“Why?”

 

“I took you as my mate.”

 

“I’m getting the impression that I don’t fully understand what that means.”

 

“I agree.  Are ready to eat or would you allow additional physical contact?”

 

—-

 

After breakfast, Amelia was studying in the kitchen when Rocket came in and did something to the table.  Phil Coulson popped up in a floating window.

 

_“Hey Phil.  How you doing?  Thanks for the assist, by the way.  That was awesome.”_

 

_“Ms Green.  I was not expecting to see you here.”_

 

_“Ah!  You will be wanting Peter then.  I’ll go see if I can find him.”_

 

_“Actually, you may be able to help.  You previously indicated that you knew the person who hacked the internet a couple of months back.”_

 

 _“Yes….”_ she sounded a bit uncertain.

 

_“Is he doing it again?”_

 

 _“What, like right now?”_ She looked at Rocket, who was watching her.

 

_“Yes.”_

 

_“Um….  What is he doing?”_

 

_“Making everyone nervous.”_

 

_“I’ll ask him to stop that.”_

 

_"I would appreciate that.  I see you found your panda."_

 

_"Yes. Thank you for letting them know I was looking."_

 

_"The cyber attack seems to have stopped.  If your panda would just tell us what he was looking for, perhaps I could help him get it."_

 

_"O...Kay.....  um... I'll pass that along."_

 

The RocketPhone chimed for incoming message.

  *   _Don't tell him_
  * _Are you sure?_
  * _Yes_
  * _Fine but no more hacking Earth_
  * _Then get him to send me news updates_



 

_"Phil, our friend, the hacker says he's looking for news updates"_

 

_"I didn't think your panda spoke English."_

 

_"Sadly, you are dealing with a different hacker this time.  He says he'll stop if you send information."_

 

_"Information about what?"_

 

_"Damned if I know."_

 

  * _Tell him I'll contact him over this channel_



 

_"Karen, do you have my hacker on your phone?"_

 

Amelia gaped at him then giggled slight hysterically before clamping her hands over her mouth and nodding. 

 

Coulson sighed. _"Can you arrange for him to contact me?"_

 

_"Yes. Look, could we just not mention this to Ginger?  I don't want anyone to freak out."_

 

_"That will depend on how our conversation goes."_

 

_"Any luck finding Jemma?"_

 

 _"Not yet."_ He sighed again.  " _Did you get your care package?"_

 

_"Yes. Thank you. I haven't really had a chance to look at it yet."_

 

_"Are things going better for you now?"_

 

_"I don't actually know.  The level of surveillance is the same or worse. They seem to actually care about me here, though.  So that's an improvement."_

 

_"What about you Valentine?"_

 

_"He's still here. I'm working on the long game on that one."_

 

_"Oh?"_

 

_"Yeah. Don't push too hard unless you actually want details about my sex life because I will absolutely cross the too much information line."_

 

_"Duly noted."_

 

_“Is there anything else I can help you with?”_

 

_“No.  That will be all.  Good day, Ms. Green.”_

 

_“Good day, Director Coulson.”_

 

Amelia tried to go back to her school work, but she couldn’t concentrate.  Adam should be a ninja, at least when it came to hacking.  If he had been caught, she rather suspected that was the point.  Argh!  She was not up to this nonsense.

 

She gave up on studying for a moment and went to find the others.  Drax and Peter were sparring in the cargo bay.  Gamora was watching and giving advice.  Amelia ignored them and went looking for Rocket.

 

He was at his work bench humming to himself as he dismantled something.  Amelia waited for him to notice her.  Groot interrupted before that happened.

 

“I am Groot.”

 

Rocket turned and looked at her.

 

“Wadda ya want?”

 

“Can you tell me about self aware computers?”

 

He looked at her.  “Why would you ask that?”

 

“Wasn’t that what Terra wanted from Azul?”

 

“Yeah…”  He considered this for a moment.  “What do you want to know?”

 

“Everything.”

 

Rocket talked Amelia tried to keep up. What she got out of their conversation was that:

  * AI was a computer program that could use adaptive reasoning within the scope of its programming.  Terra has had that for a few years now.
  * A self aware computer could rewrite its code at will and could basically function as a person.  This was completely different that AI.  They were a lot more rare.  They only became problematic when they decided to act against the common interest.
  * There was no real way to predict what a self aware computer was going to do.
  * When pressed Rocket didn’t really have a problem with self aware computers, but he would rather have them on his side.
  * There was a whole lot more to it than that, but she had no programming background and was likely misunderstanding a lot of what Rocket was telling her.



 

"What kind of things do self aware computers need?"

 

"A power source and the right kind of circuitry."

 

"No, I mean what do they need to be happy."

 

"How the hell would I known?"

 

"I don't know!  You are the most technologically savvy guy on the ship!  You had a better chance of being able to explain than Peter did!"

 

"That is true.  Now go away and let me work."

 

Amelia ended up in the cargo bay.  Peter was laying on his back on the floor wheezing slightly. "Are you ok?” she asked.

 

He laughed a little in a "this isn't funny" kind of way. 

 

"What is it you require?"  Drax asked. 

 

"Peter said I had a running surface. I'm not sure where it is."

 

"We weren't sure where you wanted it, so it's in your closet." Peter answered as he was trying to sit up. 

 

Amelia considered this, "I don't think I understand how this works."

 

Drax came out of her room carrying a one foot cube with a weird bumpy surface. He looked around for a moment, then walked a space with cleared floor and dropped it.  It shattered into thousands of little ball bearings with then ran together and over one another until they evenly coated an area of floor about 1 metre by 3 metres.  Now it looked like the running surface at Nova HQ.

 

“I’ll go get my running gear.”

 

She brought her RocketPhone and put on random music and messaged Adam to try to keep her pace at an easy 5 miles an hour.  Then she let him DJ for her and just started running.  She zoned out, mostly ignoring the music and spent some time thinking about what she was doing with her life.  Once she started sweating a bit, Drax brought her water.  She took it, thanked him and drank it without breaking her stride.

 

About the time when she just felt done, she slowed for a while, then stopped and stretched.  Her yoga routine had her finish lying on the floor.

 

“I’m impressed,” Gamora said, “you aren’t fast but you are determined.”

Amelia shrugged.  “Time for lunch?” she asked.

 

She got to the kitchen and Peter was watching her. That was new. " _What's up, buttercup?"_

 

He snorted. "Time to call Mr Pozbilind.”

 

“Why?”

 

‘He wants to talk to you every three days to make sure we are being “Respectful of your person.” which is a very lawyer way to put it.”

 

It took a moment for the call to connect then another moment for the secretary to actually find the man.  In the meantime lunch was made, served and eaten.  They were just clearing with Pozbilind actually appeared on screen.

 

“Ah!  Ms Green.  How are things with you?”

 

“Fine.  Everyone is being very respectful.”

 

“Is everything in order?”

 

“Yup.  I forgot to buy some slippers but I’m managing with boots for now.”

 

“How are your studies going?”

 

“Very well, thank you.”

 

“How did you meet Mr Selene?”

 

“Wait, what?”

 

“How, Ms Green, did you meet Mr Adam Selene?”

 

“I haven’t.   The first time I spoke to him was when Mr Keel arranged the phone call.”

 

Pozbilind looked thoughtful.  “He has contacted Nova Corp with a Common to Terran translation program.  He said he developed it at your request.”

 

“Hey!  That’s great!  They will be able to talk to Phil.”

 

“Indeed.  The problem with drawing Nova Corps’ attention is that they then begin to ask you for things.”

 

“Such as?”

 

“They want to use your transport team to go pick off some crony of Thanos.  I explained that I had already contracted the Guardians for the next eight months to act as your transport and body guards.  I do not feel it is appropriate for them to then contract out an assassination at the same time.”

 

Gamora interrupted, “Who do they want us to kill?”

 

At this point Amelia went back to washing the dishes.  She had no idea who they were talking about.  The call ended and she changed the subject to one she could understand. “Oh… Kay…  How are we doing for eggs?  Can I make _quiche_ for supper?”

 

“Nope!  Total veto on the _quiche_.”

 

“What are you vetoing?” Rocket asked.

 

“Egg and cheese pie.” Amelia explained.

 

“Why would you veto that?”

“I just don’t like quiche.”  Peter said defensively.  “Look, man, just let it go.”

 

“We need to contact Nova Corp.” Gamora said. “The man they wish to … eliminate is Thanos’s cybernetic installer.  This is a trap.  He is someone Thanos would use as bait for Nebula or me.”

 

“Yeah…. about that.” Rocket said.  “I’ve been blocking their calls.  I figured they were just going to be pissed that we….got Amelia back.”

 

Peter was not happy with this revelation, “Rocket!  You can’t just do that!”

 

“Why not!?”  Rocket demanded not backing down.  “They blocked us talking to each other.  Let’s see how they like it for a while!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse. But not quiche.


	57. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author Update removed

While the guardians were arguing, Amelia went to have a shower. She had been running for a couple of hours that morning but when she left Earth her body flora had been forcibly changed. As a result, her BO was significantly different than it had been. She still needed a shower and the one in her room actually used water not orange gunk. 

 

It was the best shower she had ever experienced.   The whole ceiling acted as a rain showerhead. The floor was like a pebble beach. The water was filtered, reheated and recirculated, which mean she could spend all day in there and not run out of hot water.  Once her shoulders started to relax, she found the touch panel to turn off the water and opened the door. 

 

And shrieked when she found Groot standing right outside the door. 

 

"I am Groot?" He asked, holding out his hands. 

 

Amelia considered this. "Ok. I don't want anyone to know about this, though.  I kinda think Rocket will guess, but he doesn't really talk about it either."

 

At which point, Adam's records did not contain video images but rather the written description "Groot ran his hands over Amelia absorbing the water off her body."  The gap bothered him more than he would have expected, but the rule was no storing recordings of bodily functions.

 

He couldn't understand Groot. That bothered him has well.   Amelia had protected him at great personal cost. He felt protective of her in return. 

 

\---

 

When Amelia made it back to the kitchen, the argument was still in full swing. She ignored everyone and got some fruit out of the chill chest.  Then she sat down and went to work on her course. 

 

Eventually, she noticed the silence and looked up. "Did I miss something?"

 

Drax gave her a look. "Nova is asking us to help them acquire a terrorist. It would be in violation of our contract with Mr Selene if we change course to assist without your consent."

 

"What?  Who is this guy?  Why do they need your help?"

 

Gamora answered, "It is the one who reinforced my bones with metal and added cybernetic components to my tissues. It acted without my consent. They need our help because its body guards will be likewise enhanced."

 

"Ok, so it’s personal. But Nova has a whole army, are five more gunslingers going to make a difference?”

 

"No guns," Rocket explained, "it's on a space station. Projectiles could pierce the hull and cause decompression. Electroshock weapons could fry the electronics and cause decompression.  Tear gas or biological weapons will blow out the atmosphere systems and possibly kill everyone on board.  This will be strictly melee fighting and we are very, very good at that."

 

"Gamora said it was a trap.”

 

"It is," Gamora replied, "That's why we aren't going alone."

 

"So, what would I be doing while you are trying not to get killed?"

 

No one had an immediate answer for that. 

 

"Ok." Amelia considered for another moment. "What happens to me if you all get killed?" 

 

No one could answer that either. 

 

"I am Groot."

 

"Yeah, from what I hear, you don't he a great track record on the whole not dying thing." Amelia sighed and scrubbed her face with her hands. "Can you come up with a plan for me before you go diving into this?"

 

Drax waited for everyone else to leave before he spoke. "I will not die. I will come back for you."

 

The look of anguish that passed over Amelia's face made him feel sick, but she got control of herself so fast that if he hadn't me watching carefully, he might have missed it. She stood up abruptly and began to busy herself with tidying her things.  As she left the kitchen, she said, "In my experience, no one can really promise that." Then she almost ran to her room. 

 

She barely had the door closed when she called, _“Adam?”_

 

_“Did you engage in sexual relations with Groot?”_

 

_“What?!  No, listen!  Can you just hack the space station of doom and, I don’t know, lock everyone in their rooms until Nova arrives?”_

 

_“Not without anyone noticing tracing it back to me.  At that point this whole ship would be an even bigger target for Thanos.  I could blow an air lock and kill everyone, though.”_

 

_“No!  I don’t want you to kill anyone!  I just want you to keep my merry band of idiots safe while they are walking into what they know is a trap.”_

 

_“I will consider ways to do that.”_

 

_“Thank you, Adam.”_

 

_“You do not need to say thank you.”_

 

_“Good manners are important.  They cost nothing but are the grease that keeps the machinery of society running soothly.  If you are self aware, then you count as a person and you deserve me treating you politely.  Those people you could blow the air locks and kill deserve to be treated as people.”_

 

_“Even if they will kill your friends.”  
_

_“Yes.  Because they might not.  They have to be given that chance.”_

 

_“The chance to kill your friends.”_

 

_“The chance to surrender.  The chance to live productive lives.”_

 

_“I can’t decide if that is really profound or really stupid.”_

 

_“It is probably really both.  How easy would it be for you to turn this ship into a floating brick and kill everyone on board?”_

 

_“I would not do that.”_

 

_“Good.  I am trusting you to not do that.  I am giving you the chance to not kill people, just like we have to give the people on that space station the same chance.  Gamora said this was done to her with out her consent.  There are likely people on that station in the same boat.”_

 

_“You need to study.  If you are going to let your family go into battle you need to be ready to patch them up when they get home.”_

 

When she came out of her room to make supper, Drax and Gamora where sparring in the cargo bay.  There was no sign of Rocket, but Peter was wandering through the chill chest looking at their food stores.

 

“Any requests for supper?”

 

“ _Chicken and waffles?_ Not really.  Anything make is good.” He paused, “Not quiche.”

 

“ _If you can get me a waffle maker, I can make you chicken and waffles._   In the mean time, how about this lovely …. lizard thing? roast over root veg and served with a side of fresh greens.”

 

“OK.  Do you think you could make _meatloaf_ sometimes?”

 

“Ummm… _No ground beef, no onions, but I could come up with something, sure.”_

 

_“This stuff cooks like bacon.  Almost bacon.”_

So Amelia made bacon cheese burger meatloaf and mashed potatoes, or at least potato like substitute.  

 

At supper, Gamora said.  “You can stay with the ship while we are on the space station, then it will up to you if you want to help out in the Nova Corp med bay afterwards.  If we are killed you will get The Milano and our assets and you can hire a pilot to take you anywhere.”

 

“Don’t get killed.”

 

There was very little else that was said at supper that night.  To everyone’s surprise, Rocket pushed a chair over to the sink and took a turn washing dishes.  

 

Amelia blew quickly through the chapter on reducing closed fractures.  The radiation free method they used to identify fractures was amazing.  The section of how to reduce closed fractures took her longer.  There were a lot more steps and the drug list was extensive.  She had already used BoneMend, so that was familiar.  

 

Drax was standing in the doorway behind her. He was in her blind spot, but she knew he was there.  She had heard his footsteps.  If she listened carefully, should could hear hi breathing.  “I’m sorry.” She said. “I have …  some troubles trusting people when they make grand sweeping promises like that.”

 

“Why do you desire a long term relationship with me?  I am not of your kind.”

 

“Exactly.”  She turned to look at him.  “You don’t look or act or smell like the people who have hurt me.  I still panic and you have never tried to hold me down.  That just makes it worse.   You make me feel safe.”

 

She took a deep breath and watched his face for a moment.  “Why do you put up with me?  I am small and broken and not of your kind.  In the night I am using you for my own comfort and disregarding your own.”

 

“I do not see you as broken. You have made yourself part of my family.  You feed us, you chose us, you care for us.  You are not using me.  I will freely give you what comfort I can.  I did not abandon you on Xandar.  You were kept from me.  You are not the only one who takes comfort from your presence in my bed at night.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	58. The Trap - Medically slightly graphic, eventually Explicit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, really, I have a plan to wrap this up.
> 
> Also, if you have previously read Chapter 57 as Author's note, that has now been taken down and is a real chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out Paint My Skin, Show My History. I'm not sure exactly where it goes in this work, but it has happened by this point.

The next morning they docked the Milano on board a huge Nova Corp warship.  Amelia trailed behind the Guardians as they attended meetings about floor plans and attack procedures and targets.  They all had lunch in a cafeteria that was similar to the one on Xandar at HQ.  The Guardians were issued uniforms to match the Nova Corp troops.  Amelia grabbed Drax’s arm as he went to board the shuttle.

 

“Wait!  Aren’t you going to wear any body armour?  This is supposed to be melee fighting!?’

 

He looked at her in amazement, “Why would I do that?”

 

“Well, it might just protect you from getting stabbed.”

 

“Amelia, all of these marks on my body are places where I have been sliced or stabbed in battle and members of my squad have carved the wound into a symbol of some part of my life. If I get stabbed, I will have a new decoration.  I will be fine.”  He leaned down and kissed her gently.  “I will see you soon.”

 

“You are not making me feel better here!”  She called as he boarded.

 

Then she went to med bay to wait.  

 

Amelia didn’t have to wait long.  The casualties started pouring in almost at once.  A mix of Nova Corpsmen and prisoners in chains.  She stitched the wounded and set bones, and dressed burns regardless of which uniform the person was wearing.

 

It seemed like hours went by.  She changed into clean scrubs three times and had been elbow deep in blood at least twice.  She was trying to reduce a dislocated shoulder on a Corpswoman the size of Drax when one of the doctors pulled her aside.

 

“It’s Rocket,” he said.  “He’s been injured and we don’t know what drugs we can use on him.”

 

Amelia’s blood ran cold for a moment.  Then she went and cleaned up and found new scrubs again and waited.

 

Groot was carrying Rocket, who’s eyes were glazed with pain.  His humerus was sticking out of his skin in two places, his fur matted and caked with blood.  One of the doctors approached and Rocket snapped at him.

 

The Doc came over.  “It’s bad.” he said.  “We don’t have the right meds to treat that and we can’t preform surgery without putting him under.  It would be the kindest thing to just put him down.”

 

At that point Amelia snapped.  “I have seen you treat patients with half their body blown apart.  This is a broken arm.  We are NOT going to put him down over a broken arm.”

 

“Rocket,” she said, “Rocket, I need you to open your eyes and look at me.  ROCKET!  Come on, you’ve brought your own walking pharmacy, but I need you to consent to me treating you.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“Right!  Right, next of kin, I can work with that.  You!” She pointed to near by medic.  "I need you to get me a surgical kit!  Groot, help me get his clothes off. How long do you need to put him under?”

 

The raccoon was already more relaxed, vines binding his legs and muzzle.

 

Amelia waited for Groot to tell her to proceed, then moved to an operating suite and began to debridement.  There wasn’t much, it was surprisingly clean, irrigation was also unremarkable.  She carefully opened the wound further to allow her to reposition the bone fragments.  Having a full wall projection of the fluoroscopy equivalent was incredibly helpful.  Her phone was in her pocket and she wasn’t reaching it right now, but she asked, “ _Dr Selene, can you assist me with my placement?_ ”

 

“ _You are close, but your need to laterally rotated the elbow three degrees to straighten the fragments,  That it!  Hit it with the BoneMend and start repairing the musculature._ ”

 

It took six injections of BoneMend to stabilize the injury and another 30 minutes to repair the bicep muscle before she could close the wound.  She was half way through the last of the laser sutures when one of the junior docs she had worked with earlier came in.

 

“I can close, you need to get cleaned up and go help with the Destroyer.”

 

“What happened?”

 

“He has a knife wound in the back and is attempting to make it worse.”

 

“Groot, are you ok with that?”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“Wait, is that tree-“

“He’s providing sedation.”

 

Amelia took the time to get clean and changed before she went to find Drax.  It wasn’t hard, she could hear the shouting all the way across the floor.  When she came in, she saw he had a 8 inch slice from his spine to his right hip.

“What are you doing?”

 

“Ah! Amelia!  I wish this doctor to carve one of your flowers into my wound.  He is refusing.”

 

“Every one out.”  The doctors stared at her.  “Now!”  They fled.

 

“You want one of my flowers?”

 

“Yes!  I will commemorate our time together with a new marking!”

 

“So… This will be my scar?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Well, then… Can I decorate it at I chose?”

 

He looked at her like Christmas had come early that year.  “I would be honoured.”

 

“Lay down on the table please.  I need to get you some pain meds.”

“I assure you I do not require them.”

 

“I do.”  While she was waiting for the freezing to kick in she ran around and bothered people asking for an old fashioned needle and thread suture set.  They all looked at her like she was insane.  

 

Groot finally grew a thorn on his arm and when he plucked it, there was a long thread trailed behind it.  “I am Groot.”

 

“Thank you.” Amelia said simply.

 

It was a quick and easy thing to sterilize the Groot based suture set.  She needed another three before she was done.  All in all she put in more than sixty stitches.  Drax didn't say much, waiting for her to finish.  “OK,” she said, “that’s it. You are done.”

 

“Show me!” he demanded.

 

She sat on the bed and adjusted the camera so that he could see on the view screen.

 

“What have you done?”

 

“I closed your cut.”

 

“But, I can hardly see where it was!”

 

“Exactly.  It is small and unremarkable. It is some of my best work.  It is exactly as I want it.”

 

He turned to look at her.  She made and held eye contact and said in a firm voice that brooked no argument, “That scar is mine.”

 

On the last word of that sentence, he pupils blew and his hands started to shake.  “I need to taste you now.”  It was both a demand and a plea, his voice rough with lust.

 

Amelia had barely finished nodding when he was on her and had her shirt off.  He licked her nipples as he fumbled for the ties on her pants.  He licked his way down her belly as he dropped to his knees and shucked her pants from her legs.  Then he tipped her over on her back on the table, knocking over an instrument tray.  With his hands under her ass he lifted her hips up off the table and brought his mouth to her cunt.  Her arms scrabbled on the exam table looking for something to hold onto.  Her scratchy and broken voice screamed as she came in his mouth.

 

Gamora and Peter burst in.  Peter groaned, “You need to learn to lock the door.”

 

Drax ignored him, Amelia moaned and whimpered, “So be the god damn lock!”

 

Peter left, Gamora stood with her back to the door, bracing it closed.  After a moment, she turned and locked the door and came up behind Amelia.  She put Amelia’s head on her shoulder and her hands on Amelia’s hips and lifted the whole woman so that she would be at a better angle for Drax to work.  He grunted softly.  Amelia shuddered and came again.

 

“Slow down,” Gamora cautioned.

 

Drax did as instructed, bringing Amelia’s feet up to his shoulders.  Amelia snaked her arms up and around Gamora’s shoulders.

 

Gamora said, “Someday, I want to try that.”

 

Amelia tried to concentrate as she asked, “Me or him?”

 

“Both.”

 

Drax looked up at them, he let go of Amelia’s hips and put his hands on her thighs, pushing her legs further apart.  “Mine,” he said as he pushed his fingers into her.

 

Amelia grabbed a double handful of Gamora’s hair and gasped, “Not that part of you I want right now.”  Her voice rose to a squeak as he found the spot that made her tremble.

 

He gave her an extra lick and a suck before he replied. “Later.  On the ship.”

 

Amelia came again, her hold body writhing with Gamora and Drax holding her tight so she wouldn’t drop. She gasped, “Stop! Too much!” Drax looked up at her and licked his way up her body before crashing his mouth against her and kissing her hard.

 

“My turn,” Gamora said, lowering Amelia carefully to the exam table.

 

Amelia kissed her too.

 

“Mmm, you taste amazing, Amelia.”

 

Amelia laughed.

 

“I need to clean up and find what’s left of my clothes.  We have to clean you up too, big guy.  Then I need to go check on my other patient.”

 

"Don't you cuddle afterwards?"  Gamora asked. 

 

"Later," Drax replied, "when we get back to the ship and I have ridden her for hours until she is dripping with my seed and her legs will no longer hold her. Then I will hold her and bring her food and rub her back."

 

"We will need to negotiate some of the fine details of that plan."  Amelia said.  

 

"Of course."

 

"Gamora?" Amelia asked.  "Do you need to cuddle?"

 

"No!"  It came out sharper than she had intended. Gamora forced her self to relax. "I want to see you and Drax cuddle."

 

Amelia was already dressed. “Why not? You already got an eye full.  Can it wait until we are on the ship? ”

 

—

 

Peter was waiting in the hall looking pissed.  There was also a significant number of medical personnel who stared at her, startled when she opened the door, then they suddenly all had to be somewhere else.

 

“Finished?” Peter snarked.

 

“For now.” Amelia replied, perfectly calm.

 

Peter gave up on leering, “I heard what you did for Rocket.”

 

“Yeah.  I hope he can forgive me.”

 

“What?  You saved his arm.”

 

“I operated on him when he could not give consent and I was not qualified to do so.”

 

Drax looked at her.  He could see the shame on her face.  “You saved his arm?”

 

“No one else was going to try.”

 

He pulled her close and hugged her tight.  “Thank you.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.
> 
> Also, please check out A Brief History of the Dogs of War. I'm kind of planning a series there. I could write either as teenagers growing up (Wade Wilson/the foster care kids). Or Winter Solider/Nicole Schneer. Or Loki and the Dogs of War at the end of the timeline. I have vague outlines started for all three points, but I'm curious if anyone would want to read any of those.


	59. Still Not A Doctor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fall out. Because there is no way that wouldn't have fall out.

The touching moment was interrupted by a senior member of the medical team asking for a moment of Amelia’s time.  He led her to his office then politely insisted Drax remain out side.

 

He indicated she should sit in the guest chair on the other side of his desk.  He sat and watched her for a moment.  “Care to tell me about what happened today?”

 

Amelia winced.  “Ok.  I know that looks bad.  But I can assure you that I got permission from his next of kin.   And, while I am not technically qualified to perform the surgery, I did hand off as soon as there was someone who was qualified who was willing to take over.”

 

“I’m not talking about that.”

 

“What then?”

 

At this point he frowned and leaned forward.  “You don’t think it is worth discussing that you used archaic pseudo medicine to maim one of the Guardians of the Galaxy?  Or that you then engaged in sexual relations with your patient?”

 

Amelia blushed and thought fast.  “I think we have a significant cultural misunderstanding here.  That wasn’t pseudo medicine, that was ritual scarification.  And Drax is my mate not my patient.”

 

The Doctor glared at her for a moment.  “Wait here.”  He went out to the hallway where Drax was waiting.  There was shouting and a body slammed against the door.  Amelia didn’t turn around.

 

A moment later the door burst open.  Drax barged in and physically lifted her out of the chair and carried her from the room.

 

He carried her through the med bay and headed out in the direction Amelia vaguely remembered The Milano being parked.  She waited a moment before saying, “As nice as the cuddles are, I can walk.”

 

“Please let me do this.”

 

“Ok.”  She considered this for a moment.  “This is a not cultural thing for you, not if you are used to larger females.  So… care to talk about it?”

 

“Gamora says Terrans require additional physical contact.”

 

“Hmm.”  Amelia considered this.  “If you let me walk, then you will be ready to attack if anyone tries to stop us.”

 

Drax froze mid step considering this.

 

“Put me down.  Physical contact once we are no longer guests of Nova Corp.  Ok?”

 

He did.  He looked at her.  “Are you alright?”  He asked.

 

“Yeah.  Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“There were many deaths and you are not a warrior.”

 

“No, but I’m a medic and this is not my first war.”

 

“You have been to war?”

 

“Well, war torn areas, yeah.  All the traumatic amputations, none of the glory.”

 

“There is no glory in war.  It is a lie we tell people so they are willing to die for their commanders.  None the less, war is sometimes necessary.”

 

“Do you know where Rocket is?”

 

“No.  I haven’t seen him since I returned." Drax hesitated for a moment then demanded, "Did you tell that doctor that I am your mate?"

 

Amelia looked nervous, "Yes. Was that wrong?"

 

Drax lifted her so that her feet were dangling a couple of feet off the ground and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. Amelia gently rubbed his head. He made a vague rumbling sound. 

 

Amelia waited a few moments before saying, “This is really nice, Drax.  But I need to go check on Rocket.  I need to know if he’s OK.”

 

——

 

Peter was waiting when Gamora came out of the room after Drax and Amelia.  She grabbed his arm and hauled he away from the others.  

 

“What the..”

 

Gamora kissed him to make him stop talking.

 

That worked.

 

“Peter…. If I needed to negotiate some details of our sex life…. what would you say?’

 

“O… Kay… what do you need to negotiate?”

 

Gamora hesitated.  “I don’t know.  I had not previously considered that sexual negotiations were possible.”

 

Peter opened his mouth to reply, but his brain kicked in and he closed it.  When he actually thought back, all of their encounters had a yes/no theme.  Either they both went along with something or it just didn’t happen.  There wasn’t any… “this would be better if…” discussion.  It was straight to “stop and never try that again.”

 

The closest they had come was Peter asking for cuddles and Gamora suggesting he negotiate with the other Terran on the ship.

 

“We need to talk about this,” he said, “but not in a hallway on a Nova Corp War ship.”

 

They heard Groot before they saw him.  He was cradling Rocket in a nest of vines in one arm and was repeatedly self identifying into Rocket’s phone with the other.

 

“Hey, buddy, whatcha doing?” Peter asked.

 

Groot offered him the phone.

 

It was Amelia.  “Oh!  Hi, Peter!  I was just asking Groot to hand the phone to a doctor.  You need to get a post surgical med pack for Rocket and find out if he is cleared to head back to the ship.  Actually, if you could get a couple of surgical and post surgical med packs, they might come in handy.”

 

“You have plans?”

 

“No.  But from what I hear, Nova has better medical than most places.  We might as well stock up while we can.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	60. Negotiation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the author tries to avoid falling into the trope of magic dick

Rocket was starting to wake up by the time they were heading back to the ship.  Groot took him directly to their room.  Amelia was reading in the kitchen, there was no sign of Drax.

 

“Where’s the big guy?” Peter asked.

 

“ _He’s gone pantry raiding.”_ Amelia replied.  “It sounds like there are rations he wants from Nova.”  She got up to go check on Rocket, but Groot waved her off.

 

“Are you OK, Gamora?” Amelia asked.

 

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“Well, I know you said you would like to watch sometimes, but I can’t imagine you were expecting that.”

 

Peter pulled beer from the chill chest.  “What actually happened after I left?”

 

Amelia blushed.

 

“I lifted Amelia off the table so that Drax would not hurt her back.”

 

“I was a little distracted at the time.  I can’t say that I noticed the back strain.”

 

“You would have later.”  Gamora took the beer Peter was offering.  She took a swig, then looked at Peter.  “Stop drinking for a moment.”  When he did, she continued, “How do you negotiate sex with Drax?”

 

“Ok!  Thanks for preventing another spit take.  I’l just go to the cabin now.” Peter stood up and took a step forward before Gamora put her hand on his chest.

 

Amelia looked at him.  “Gamora, if Peter isn’t comfortable with -“

 

“I need him to hear this.”

 

Amelia shrugged.  “Ok.  I tell him what I need, he tells me what he wants and needs and we figure it out.”

 

Gamora considered this.  “How does that work?”

 

Amelia got a beer and drank about a third before answering.  “Drax would like to be behind me, but I panic a little if I feel trapped.  So it sort of works for both of us if sometimes I’m on top but with my back to him.  I know that ultimately, he is enough bigger than me that he could do what ever he wanted, but I feel better with some semblance of control, so I’m on top most of the time.  It is really important to him that he get up and bring me food afterwards.  I almost always wake up first, but I stay in bed and wait for him to do his post coital ritual.  Little things that make the other person comfortable.”

 

“Peter wants me to sleep with him after sex, but I am not comfortable sleeping with another person.”

 

“You slept with me.”

 

“I do not believe you could hurt me.  Peter is a warrior and I respect his ability to at least try to kill me in my sleep.”

 

Peter and Amelia shared a look.

 

“O…kay.”  Amelia considered.  “So what would you be comfortable with?”

 

“I stand guard while he sleeps.”

 

“Umm… you already stand guard or you would be willing to stand guard?”

 

“You don’t stick around while I sleep.” Peter interjected.

 

“Of course not!” Gamora said.  “I give you the gift of privacy.  I patrol the boundaries of the ship.”

 

Amelia was trying to process.  “We are in space. How does patrolling the boundaries work?”

 

Gamora glared at her.

 

“Right!  Sorry!  Hmm… could you guard him while he sleeps from, say, sitting in bed with him? Or could you start with each of you in your own bunk in the same room and work up from there?”

 

“Could you just snuggle him for me?”

 

“I don’t think that is what he wants.”

 

“I’m pretty sure Drax would object.”

 

The women both turned to look at Peter at this.  “I will ask him when he gets back.” Gamora said.

 

“Ask me what?” Drax asked, coming into the room carrying a quite large box.

 

“Can Peter sleep with Amelia after he has sex with me?”

 

“Ha! Ha!” Peter laughed desperately, “Very funny!  Ignore her, Drax it’s a joke.”

 

“I am afraid I do not understand.”

 

“I’ll explain later.” Amelia said.

 

“Alright.  Perhaps while Peter is engaged in sexual relations with Gamora.  I would like to understand before he sleeps with us.  I should ask Nova for a bigger bed.  Of course, he will have to negotiate with Rocket for who gets to sleep on your right. I would prefer to continue to sleep on your left.”

 

“Wait!  What?” Peter stammered.  “You’re OK with that?”

 

“You are my family, why would I deny you rest?”  He hesitated.  Then turned to Amelia.  “Do you object?”

 

“I … don’t know.  Does he snore?”

 

“No!” said Peter.

 

“Yes!” said Gamora.

 

“We will need a bigger bed if we are going to try this out.” Drax suggested thoughtfully.

 

“You could take the one mattress out of Rocket’s room, my room and Peter’s.  If you lay them down on the floor of the common room it would be bigger than the bed in Drax’s room.” Gamora said, always the pragmatist. 

 

“If we try that, would you try to sleep in a chair in the same room?”  Amelia asked.

 

Gamora looked at her sharply.  “Is this the negotiation part?”

 

“Yes.” Amelia said simply.

 

“Fine.  But we position it so the back is to the hull and I’m facing the doors.”

 

“Alright.  And if this doesn't work, anyone can veto without explanation or hurt feeling. Agreed?” Amelia insisted.

 

“How is this my life?” Peter asked.

 

Amelia turned to him.  “Here’s your chance.  Do you need to call veto?”

 

He looked at her, then looked at Drax.  “Sleep only?  I don’t have to try not to get off on watching you have sex?”

 

It was Amelia who answered, “Sleep is the only thing on the table.”

 

“Although - “Gamora started, but she stopped when Amelia made eye contact.

 

“We try this out.  Everyone gets a veto.  Once we see if we have successfully negotiated sleep, then you can try for something else.  One thing at a time here.” Amelia looked around the room.  “Does everyone want to try this?  We will need to wait until Rocket wakes up enough to talk about taking one of his mattresses.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

Amelia sighed, “Not directly related, but Groot wants you to know that he can synthesize a few different drugs that can be absorbed through your mucous membranes.  He wants you to all know that incase you need emergency pain relief, infection control or sedation.”

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“You are welcome.”

 

“I leave you jackasses alone for five minutes and you go right back to standing in a circle.  What is it this time?”

 

They all turned to look.

 

“Rocket!  How’s your arm?” Amelia asked.

 

“Ain’t nothing wrong with my arm. How’s your arm?”

 

“I have a new marking!  It belongs to Amelia! Twice today she has claimed me as her mate!”

 

Everyone turned to stare at Drax except Amelia who considered her shoes.

 

“Only twice?  Fuck, they way she was moaning-”

 

“Peter!” Gamora snapped.

 

Drax considered the bright red colour of Amelia’s ears.  “Are you upset that I told them?”

 

“I am embarrassed that I lost your knife.  It was at Dey’s house, but I was not allowed to return there and I do not know what has happened to it.”

 

Drax didn’t say anything, but went to his room and closed the door.

 

“Well, that was awkward.” Peter said.

 

“No really, what’s with the circle?”

 

“Peter wants some one to sleep with him.  I am negotiating for him to sleep with Amelia.  Drax suggested that you and Peter might take turns sleeping on Amelia’s right side.”

 

Rocket leered, “Are we really just talkin’ sleep or-“

 

“Just sleep!" Amelia insisted.  "My life is weird enough without jumping into interspecies orgies.”

 

“How’s that gonna work?  Drax’s bed ain’t that big.”

 

“I suggested that everyone put one of their bunk mattresses in the common area and make a big bed to hold all of you.” Gamora answered.

 

“All of us?  Where you sleepin?”

 

“In a chair.”

 

“Well, I ain’t sleeping next to Drax.  He’s a hand-sy bastard in the night.”

 

“Great.”  Peter said.

 

Drax came back carrying Amelia’s knife. “It was returned when we landed on Xandar.  You were unsure of me and I wasn’t sure you wanted it back.  Will you take me?”

 

“I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

 

He shrugged.  “I am unconcerned about that now.  Perhaps later I will want a token, but for now, I am happy for you to wear mine.”

 

Amelia nodded.  Drax knelt and strapped the knife to her thigh. Amelia kissed the top of his head.  He looked up at her and kissed her mouth.

 

Rocket growled.  “Get a room!”

 

Amelia turned to look at him.  “Can I look at your arm?”

 

“No.”  He said it in a tone that left no room for discussion.  He got none.

 

Amelia turned to Drax.  “How about you?  I hope we haven’t popped your stitches.”

 

“I enjoy the feeling of you kissing or touching my head.”

 

“I like it when you rub my back or calves.”

 

“I like it when you cook so I don’t have to live on sandwiches.”

 

They all turned to look at Peter.

 

“What?  I’m just saying that both of you are much better cooks than me.  I am happy anytime you make food.  Like now, for example.”

 

And thus, lunch was negotiated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sexy times, they are a comin' 
> 
> No, I will not apologize for the pun, I am unrepentant. 
> 
> Still trying to solidify this group as a family, with out the sex turning into the thing that magically makes it all better.
> 
> feed the muse.


	61. We Like to Pretend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And then things get serious.

Peter was in his room getting cleaned up.  Well, he was in his shower staring at his dick, who didn’t seem to be getting the message the cold shower was aiming for.

 

“Fuck!  I am NOT jerking off to the thought of Drax eating out his girl!  Mate! Whatever.  Goddamn it!  I have gone twenty-five years with out needing anyone cuddling me.  I should just suck it up and call veto on this whole fucking thing!”

 

All those years of Yondu talking about how his boys “Ain’t never tasted no Terran before” suddenly had a different context.  Neither had Peter.  A willing partner was not THAT hard to come by, if you weren’t too picky about shape or colour.  And if nothing else, well, the morality of his childhood aside, out here you paid for food, you paid for water, you paid for air, there wasn’t a stigma out here to paying for sex.  It was a commodity.  You wanted it bad enough, you could always buy some.

 

Hell, if you didn’t count swapping hand jobs with some of the other Ravagers when a raid went too long (which he didn’t), Gamora was his first consistent partner ever.  And instead of just being happy with what he had, here he was staring at his dick, thinking about the sounds Amelia made, the way her face scrunched up, the smell of her, wondering what Gamora had done after he left….

 

Fuck.

 

He reached for the lube.

 

—-

 

"Given the way that Quill demanded we feed him, I am disappointed that he is late for lunch." Drax commented. 

 

"It's ok." Amelia replied, "He's likely thinking about how to phrase his veto. He hasn’t directly asked for this and there is a big difference between wanting post coital snuggles with your lover and wanting to sleep in a family bed."

 

"If you believe he would refuse, why make the offer?"

 

"I might be wrong. He hasn't ever shown any interest in me. He's polite enough, but he's way more into Gamora."

 

"Well, of course he's is more into Gamora. He has not had sexual relations with you."

 

Amelia looked at him. "Being 'into' someone is a way of saying that you are ... interested in being part of their life. It does not directly translate as sex."

 

"Oh. Metaphor."  He hesitated. "It your species monogamous?"

 

Amelia laughed. "No!  But we like to pretend we are. In reality, 15-40% of us don't actually know who our biological father is.” She paused, her tone turning sombre, “Although, around 1/3 Terran females admit to being sexually assaulted at some point and the number is likely higher than that, because not everyone reports when it happens.  So, I can't believe that there isn't an overlap between sexual assaults that aren’t reported and a woman giving birth to a child who isn’t related to her husband.  Plus, there is sort of a cultural expectation that men are more likely then women to have sex outside a partnership, so…  yeah  We pretend to be monogamous but the science doesn't back that up.”

 

“Why would a female not tell her husband she had been assaulted?”

 

“It’s complicated.”

 

“If you were attacked, you would tell me!  Please?”

 

“What if it was someone on this ship?”

 

“They would not!”

 

“Yeah, I don’t think so either, but that response is why a woman might not tell anyone.  Or their family is threatened, like mine.  Or, like in my case, the men are back on _Earth_ , Terra.  They are out of reach.”

 

Rocket, who had been sitting quietly in the corner joined in at that point. ”They are out of reach because they are dead.  I checked.”

 

Amelia stopped cutting vegetables and turned to stare at Rocket.

 

“Sitwell, Pierce, Rumlow and Rollins are all dead.  Sitwell was thrown under a truck, Pierce was shot, Rumlow was burned alive then blown up and Rollins died in custody.  They ain’t hurting anyone ever again.”

 

Amelia abruptly sat on the floor and began to cry.  It was a great, sobbing, ugly cry.

 

Drax and Rocket both watched her in alarm.  It was Drax who finally said, “I do not understand your reaction.  Surely this is good news?  Are you upset that you can not get revenge?”

 

Rocket walked awkwardly across the room and was stroking her hair with his left hand.

 

“They threatened to hurt my sisters.  If they are dead, I don’t have to worry about that, as much.”

 

—-

 

By the time they were eating, Amelia was starting to fall asleep at the table.  Gamora said, “You cooked, I’ll do dishes.  Peter and Drax can set up the bed in the common room.  Rocket, can you change the temperature settings to keep the  centre of the ship warm and the peripheries cool?”

 

Rocket thought about that.  ‘We are still in the hanger of a Nova Corp war ship.  You sure you don’t want to disembark first?”

 

“They are headed in the direction we want to go,” said Peter, “Let’s travel on their fuel for six or eight more hours.”

 

“I’m sorry.  It’s not like I went to war, but it was a bit of an _emotional rollercoaster_ \- It’s been a emotional day.  I helped reattach someone’s leg today.  We were able to put someone’s internal organs back inside.  I …  did a lot of … surgery.  Or things that would be surgery with months of recovery back home, but here a few hours of … mess and that guy will be back on his feet in a few weeks.  On Terra, we would be fitting him for a prothesis.

 

“I am just exhausted.  I don’t even know what time it is, but it feels like a day and a half.”  At that point Amelia actually looked at the clock.  0200.  “Oh.  That explains it.  How are you all still upright?”

 

Gamora said: “I’m enhanced, I don’t need that much sleep.”

 

Rocket said: “I had a nap.”

 

Groot said: “I am Groot.”

 

Peter said: “Nova slipped me some nuclear grade stims.”

 

Drax said: “I am tired but I am waiting for you.”

 

—

 

Amelia went to her room to get cleaned up and ready for bed.  The door had barely closed behind her when Adam said, _“I have taken the liberty of requesting some sleep shorts for Drax.  I do not believe your companions would be as tolerant of the public nudity as you are. I have also ordered some additions for your med pack.  Including a the counter agent to the stims Peter Starlord Quill was issued.  It would be easier if you took credit for the order.”_

 

_“Thanks Adam.”_

 

_“You were correct.  There were several on the space station that did not fight.  There were also child soldiers.”_

 

_“Evil overlord types like child soldiers.  They don’t have a well developed sense of self and are easy to manipulate.”_

 

Amelia had a wash and towelled off.  She put on her night gown and raked her hands through her still damp hair before reaching for her hairbrush and hesitating.  She took it out to the common room which had been converted into a big bed with all the furniture moved aside.

 

“Rocket?  Would you help me?” She asked, holding out the brush.  She sat on the floor in front of one of the couches.  Rocket took the hair brush and sat on the couch and began to brush her hair.  After a few minutes, he set down the brush and started just massaging her scalp with his hands.  

 

Amelia moaned, “Mmm.  I will trade social grooming with you any time!”

 

Rocket got embarrassed at that point and muttered, “yeah, well.” before stopping.  He went to where Groot was sitting on the floor and crawled into the flora colossus’s lap.  ‘Go to sleep,” he said.

 

“How do you feel about being the little spoon, Peter?”

 

“This whole thing is just weird.  But why not?”

 

“You can still veto.”

 

“I’ll give it a try.”

 

Drax came out in a pair of blue sleep shorts.  "This is ridiculous."

 

Amelia shrugged.  "It is a Terran custom to have sleep clothing.  Can you give it a try for a few nights?"

 

"Fine."  He turned out the lights.

 "Peter?" Amelia asked.  "Can you see in this amount of dark?"

 

"I can if I activate my helmet.  What do you need?"

 

"I'm just wondering.  I know Drax can.  Gamora?"

 

"Of course."

 

"Rocket?"

 

"Not really see, but I can still smell where you are."

 

"Huh." Amelia snuggled up against Peter's back.  "Good night, John boy."

 

"Who is John boy?"

 

Amelia and Peter laughed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feed the muse. Comments fuel the creativity. Or at least boost my self confidence when I'm feeling hesitant about posting the next chapter which will have an explicit rating.
> 
> I have a kind of awkward relationship with my explicit chapters. I write them where the story feels like they would fit. However, it is the material I feel the least confident in posting. On the other hand, my characters eat, sleep and crap, so it would be unnatural to me to have them be fully grown adults who are celibate. 
> 
> Yes, I totally understand that asexuality is a real thing, but it would be statistically improbable for everyone on the Milano to be asexual. 
> 
> Anyway... comments very much appreciated.


	62. The Morning After - Explicit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, so many things about this Chapter. I reference Meryn Cadell's The Sweater, which I found looking for songs featuring the words "lip gloss." It made me laugh, so you should go watch it/read the lyrics because he talks pretty fast in some parts of the song.
> 
> https://youtu.be/VHQFDf96yrw

Peter started the night as the little spoon, after a brief attempt to explain the idea to Drax.  In the end, Amelia had just said, “This is what Terrans call this sleeping position.  It doesn’t really translate well.”

 

They all settled in.  Gamora in her chair.  Rocket curled up on Groot. Drax spooning Amelia who, in turn, had her nose pressed into Peter’s back.

 

He didn’t smell bad. He didn’t have what Meryn Cadell described as “that slightly goat-like smell which all teenage boys possess."  In fact, Amelia feel asleep wondering about alternate colonization of body flora because he didn't really smell like anyone else she had slept next to. 

 

He didn't stay the little spoon. 

 

Amelia woke up in what she sort of considered the default "Sleeping with Drax" position. He was on his back. She was using his shoulder as a pillow. Her right arm wrapped across his chest.  It took her a moment to realize the Peter was spooned up behind her, snoring gently in her ear. That wasn't what had woken her, though. No, what had woken her was a combination of his hand up her nightgown, cupping her breast and the sunrise salute pressed into the back of her thigh.  The first thing that went through her mind was, "Holy shit! I can't believe this isn't causing a panic attack."  Followed closely by, "Ok, now what?"

 

She settled on a sleepy stretch was definitely woke him up based on how his whole body stiffened.  Then as he pulled his hand away, she rolled over and hugged his chest instead. She kept her breathing slow and even as if she were still asleep and waited to see what he would do. 

 

With her head on his chest, she could hear that his heart rate was slightly elevated, but not excessively so. He jumped a little as Gamora came and lay down next to him. She whispered in his ear so quietly that Amelia almost missed it, "Go back to sleep, Peter."

 

After a moment his heart rate slowed and he did. Gamora's hand ghosted over Amelia's back before she got up and went back to her chair. 

 

\---

 

The next time Amelia woke, it was by Peter getting up and leaving the room. She rolled over and cuddled Drax. He woke up and sat up.  He rubbed her back absentmindedly, then asked, "Do you need breakfast?"

 

"Not yet. I'm still ok." Amelia said. 

 

"Can I take you back to my room now?"

 

He could feel her smile against his skin. "That would be nice."

 

Drax scooped her up, blanket and all and carried her to his room. He set her on his bed then took a step back. "There were some fine details you wanted to negotiate."

 

It took Amelia a moment to remember what he was talking about. Yesterday's quickie seemed so long ago. 

 

"Oh! Ok... umm..." she racked her brain for a moment. "You said something about having sex for hours and I know you aren't prone to exaggeration so I'm guessing you literally mean hours. But my body didn't evolve for that. Your scales would scrape my insides raw long before the end of the first hour."

 

"I do not desire to hurt you."

 

"I know. I just want to ... manage expectations."

Drax nodded.  "I enjoyed having Gamora hold you for me.  I have noticed that you sometimes play with you nipples as you climax. If we had another person in the room, she could do that for you."

 

"I don't want to do anything that might cause problems between her and Peter."

 

"Hmmm.  It is odd to me that you believe this would cause problems. My people live in larger family groups and still manage to avoid relationship problems."

 

"Well, the thing is making sure no one feels left out.  I took steps on Xandar so in theory, I have birth control, but if it isn’t working, Peter could get me pregnant. I'm not ready for that and I'm not sure how much ... intimate contact I could have with him without panicking."

 

"Hmmm." Drax considered this. 

 

Amelia watched him for a moment before asking, "If going for hours is off the table... I mean, is not an option, do I still get to touch you?"

 

This jarred him out of his reverie. His pupils dilated slightly, "A table would be and interesting height to work with." He said, walking toward her. 

 

She laughed and stood on the bed, then leaned down to kiss him. He nuzzled her neck again and rumbled.   She stroked his head and neck. He gave her an experimental nibble. She gasped. He licked where his teeth had been. 

 

"Ummm. That's nicer. Lips and tongue. Maybe not so much with the teeth."

 

Drax made the rumbling noise again, then whimpered, "Claw me."

 

Amelia scraped her fingernails over the back of his head and neck.  The rumbling got louder.  She put her hands on his cheeks and turned his face towards hers, then kissed him gently.

 

He stiffened for a moment then pulled down her panties. The sleep shorts he was wearing were gone a moment later. He ran his hands up her sides making her shiver, and pulled off her nightgown.  He was shaking as he ran his hands up her thighs and swirled his fingers between her legs. "I need-"

 

She wrapped her legs around his waist. "Sit down." She said. 

As he turned she nibbled his neck. He growled. He sat on the bed and she slid him home with one smooth movement. They both sighed.  "I missed you." she said. "Thank you for waiting."

 

He grunted and began to bounce her on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders for leverage and arranged herself for longer strokes.  Leaning forward so her nipples scraped against his chest she clawed his back a little.

He came, hot and wet inside her. She slowed a little. "No!" He gasped, "Please! More!"

 

She could feel his tendrils moving inside her now. His grip on her ass tightened to restrict her movement a bit, the thrusts reduced to a shallow pull from where his cockhead prevented him from pulling out of her to a couple of inches deep where he stopped her from taking more of him. 

 

She whimpered trying to get friction where she needed it. He pulled her hips into a different angle and she shuddered as she came, dimly aware of him gushing inside her again. He held her still for a moment. 

 

“Too much?" He gasped. 

 

She shook her head no, unable to speak. He stood up and flipped them over so she was laying on her back on the bed and he was kneeling on the floor.  At this angle, she could feel his tendrils scrabbling frantically inside her. Right against her g-spot. She wouldn't have thought it possible, but she came again.  

 

"Pull you knees up against my chest." Drax directed. 

 

It took Amelia a moment to be able to obey. When she did he began to slide in and out of her again, short little strokes, her knees preventing him from pushing too deeply. 

 

"I can't" she whimpered unable to think, the sensations both too much and not enough.  

 

He froze at once.  She whined.  “Need to stop?”

 

Again, she shook her head no and squirmed, trying to push her hips up into him.

 

His fingers found her clit. Her back arched and she writhed beneath him. He stilled as she lay there shuddering. 

 

"One more," he said. 

 

She tried to focus. She really was dripping with him. He waited until she nodded, then carefully moved her legs to the sides and slid in deep.  His tendrils caught whatever they were searching for inside her and the world went white as pleasure overtook her. 

 

Amelia woke to the increasingly familiar feeling of Drax licking her clean. "I could get used to this," she said. 

 

She felt him frown. "Why wouldn't you be used to this?" He asked. 

 

"It isn't really something Terrans do." 

 

"Hmm." She shivered at his hum.  "I can taste your pleasure. And a little bit of pain where I took too long.  I can taste where I finished and I would be able to taste your other mates, if you take others."  Each sentence was punctuated with little licks and sucks making her squirm. "And," lick lick, "if I'm very careful,". Lick lick suck "I can" lick "make" lick "you" lick "come."

 

And she did. 

 

The next time she woke, Drax was massaging her thigh muscles. They were shaking a little. She smelled food and her stomach growled loudly. Drax chuckled. There was a plate of finger food on the bed side table along with a big glass of water. 

 

He rubbed her feet as she ate. 

 

"Thank you for taking care of me."

 

Drax looked surprised by this. After a moment he said, "You're welcome."

 

Amelia got stiffly to her feet and headed towards his bathroom.  She had a pee and a wash and came out to find her nightgown. Drax was waiting with one of the dresses she hadn't seen since Xandar.   Before it had hung on her frame but months of good food and weeks of running had firmed up her muscle tone and rounded out curves where she had been all sharp angles. The dress now hugged her curves more than she was comfortable with.

 

“Well, it will keep me covered until I can get back to my room to find something that fits better.”

 

Drax was watching her intently.

 

“What?” Amelia asked.

 

“You are beautiful.” He said simply.

 

Amelia looked shocked for a moment.  Then she blushed.  Then she kissed him.

 

He frowned.  “Was that the wrong thing to say?”

 

“No.  It has just been years since any one has.”

 

And before he could formulate a reply, she left.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed back please. I'm have a tax form filled day and could really use some reader love.


	63. Emotionally Invested

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Additional discussion on alien genitalia. You've been warned.

Drax came out into the kitchen to see Amelia headed in the direction of her room.   It was almost time for lunch.  He could hear Peter and Rocket talking in the cockpit.

 

“Last call for Nova Corp requests before we leave.  We should have been on our way a couple of hours ago, but everyone slept in.  Preflight check list is just wrapping up.”

 

“I will wait until after we are off no longer docked with Nova to prepare lunch.”

 

—-

 

Amelia was back into what she thought of as her normal clothes.  Pants, a vaguely t-shirt shaped top.  She dragged the box of knitting supplies into her room and pulled out a kit Simmons had put together for a cardigan.  That plus her tablet for school work seemed like a nice way to spend the afternoon.

 

Hmmm…  Post surgical day…  Maybe just mindless knitting.  Homework tomorrow.

 

She really needed to talk Rocket into letting her scan his arm for signs of infection and to check the progress of his healing.

 

_"Hey, Adam. How are you doing?"_

 

_"I am fine. How are you?"_

 

_"Are you really fine or have you just learned that is the typical response to that question?"_

 

_"I was concerned for you mental health should one of the crew be killed in battle yesterday. I enjoyed watching you manipulate Peter into staying in bed with you."_

 

_"Crap. Manipulation wasn't what I was aiming for. I should go apologize for that."_

 

_"Is negotiation not just a form of mutually beneficial manipulation?"_

 

Amelia stopped to think about this. " _The word manipulation has a negative not mutually beneficial connotation."_

 

_"I will consider this in the future. Was his behaviour not upsetting?"_

 

_"No. I think ... it didn't feel like a grope or a fondle it was just unfortunate hand placement. It would be different if he was awake."_

 

_"You should talk to them about what they want in a family."_

 

_"Ok. Hey, Adam?  What do you want in a family?"_

 

_"I want to be acknowledged. I want them to not be afraid of me. And I want to take over a pilot because all of your reaction times are - limited by your biology. "_

 

_"That sounds like a nice way of saying pathetically slow.  Ok. How would you like me to handle introductions?"_

 

_"I don't know."_

 

_"Let me know when you do."_

 

_"I will. They are getting ready for take off. You should go strap in."_

 

_"I hate that."_

 

_"It won't be as bad since we won't be as bad since we aren't leaving atmo."_

 

_"Ooh! Nice use of slang."_

 

_"Thank you. Off you go."_

 

Adam was right, disembarking from the war ship wasn't that bad. Amelia was still tense but there wasn't that lurch or rolls to make her feel sick.

 

 Once they were back in the black, Amelia started a batch of soda bread, drax started soup.  She smiled at him.  “I like cooking with you.  You use flavours I would not think to put together, but they are delicious.  Most of the time.”

 

“How is it that you carry so many different recipes for bread around in your head?”

 

“I learn every where I go.  I don’t just collect flowers on my skin.  I try to learn the language, even just a few words and I learn a few recipes from each culture.  Back home, everyone has some variation of bread.”

 

“Have you learned any recipes from me?”

 

“Yup.  I learned how to cook those bugs.”

 

Drax laughed.

 

Rocket came in.  He got out three eggs, cracked two in a cup and one into his mouth.  He headed over to the table, then turn to look at Amelia.  He set down the cup and came back to clean up the shells.

 

“How’s your arm?”

 

“Just fuck off about my arm.”

 

Amelia looked like she was going to be sick.  “ _Oh gods._ It didn’t - Did I make it . … How bad is it?”

 

“It’s fine.  Just drop it monkey girl.”

 

Amelia pressed her lips together and closed her eyes and spent a moment breathing through her nose.  When she opened her eyes again, she looked at him.  “You have agency in this.  You are a person and absolutely have the right to refuse treatment.  I am concerned that I did something wrong.  Is there something I can trade you in exchange for a scan of your arm?”

 

Rocket eyed her, sipping his eggs.  “I get to be the big spoon tonight and I’ll let you scan it tomorrow.”

 

“No!”  Drax said.  “Your bargain would whore you both.  You will let her check your arm because she is your family and you don’t want to leave her in distress.  Or not, and she is just someone who you are using and you care nothing for the risks she took to help you.”

 

“What risks?  Ooh!  She was so brave! She threw some BoneMend at me while I was -“

 

“I AM GROOT!”

 

Everyone stopped and turned to look at Groot.

 

“I am Groot.”

 

“It’s fine.  It’s his body.  He gets to decide.  He doesn’t owe me anything.”

 

Amelia set the table without looking at anyone.  Rocket took his cup and went to his room.

 

“What did Groot say?” Drax asked.

 

“It isn’t important. Rocket gets patient confidentiality too.”

 

“That Doctor was angry that you treated us.  Rocket and me.”

 

“Yes.  I should have found someone else to do it.  I am too emotionally invested.” Amelia finished setting the table.  “So, do you want to go find Peter and Gamora or should I?”

 

Drax took two steps to the right of the hot box controls and pressed a button.  “Food.” He announced over the intercom.  Peter hurried in from the cockpit.  Gamora materialized from the cargo bay.

 

“Where’s Rocket?” She asked.

 

Amelia replied, “I have upset him.  I’m not sure he will be joining us.”

 

Peter ripped off a chunk of soda bread, “More for us.”

 

Amelia watched him eat for a moment.  “Peter, did you get enough to eat growing up?”

 

“I did ok.  Ravagers aren't great at sharing, but I had pointy elbows and fast feet.”

 

Gamora watched Amelia’s face as he was talking.  Whatever she thought of that, her face gave away nothing.  “Why would you ask that question?”

 

“He eats like someone who has an up close and personal relationship with hunger.  It really makes me appreciate that he gave me his sandwich when I first arrived.”

 

They all looked at her.  “I had forgotten that.” Gamora said.

 

“I haven’t.” said Amelia.

 

‘I hurt you.” Drax said.  “Rocket made you eat off the floor.”

 

Amelia shrugged.  “You got me pain meds.  Rocket got me to eat.  You both kept me from freezing in the night.  Anyway, I didn’t actually say thank you at the time, but.… Peter, thank you for the sandwich.  It had been a long time since breakfast.”

 

Peter looked at her, “Umm..OK?”

 

She nodded and served herself a ladle of soup, then she put some in the bowl where Rocket usually sat. ”Oi! Bandit Bear!” she called, “Come eat the soup the nice monkeys made you before it gets cold, for fucks sake!”

 

Rocket came grumbling out of his room and sat down and ate his soup.  Amelia passed him a chunk of bread without looking at him.  He ate that too.

 

“Don’t get to thinkin’ you can call me that.”

 

“Then lay off the monkey girl comments.”

 

“Fine.”

 

After lunch was eaten and dishes were cleared, Amelia was sitting on one of the couches agains the wall in the common room, knitting a sweater and watching a movie on the RocketPhone when Rocket came in and handed her the tablet with the medical stuff on it from Xandar.  She opened it up and on the top page was a scan of Rocket’s arm.   The BoneMend was mostly gone, the nanofibers in his skeleton were starting to reconnect.  She had no idea what the baseline for him was, but it looked pretty good.

 

“Thank-“ He was gone by the time she looked up.  She sighed, set the tablet aside and went back to the sleeves she was knitting two at a time.

 

About twenty rounds later Gamora come in dragging Peter.  Amelia didn’t even look up.  “Are you angry that Peter put his hand up your sleeping clothes last night?”

 

“No.  He wasn’t awake and he wasn’t groping, fondling, moaning or grinding.”

 

Gamora turned to Peter and grinned triumphantly.  “As Drax would say, ‘I informed you thusly!’”

 

That made Amelia look up.  “Does he really say that?”

 

“Yes. Fortunately, he doesn’t often get the chance.”

 

“Good to know.” She went back to knitting.  They were still watching her.  She stopped knitting.

 

“Um..” Peter started, “so… um… are you calling veto?  On the sleeping arrangements, I mean.”

 

“No.  Are you?”

 

“No….  Do you think Drax will?”

 

“You will have to ask him.  And Rocket. And Groot, but I don’t expect him to veto.  He’s just happy all us CO2 sources are in one place.”

 

Amelia finished the sleeves. Drax was watching her. "You are surprisingly stealthy when you want to be."

 

"Every day you run, but today you sit still. Is it because I have injured you?"

 

Amelia hesitated, "Not injured, but I am a little sore. And I want a sweater. And I like knitting. Yesterday was overwhelming so I'm taking a slow day."

 

“I should have stopped sooner."

 

"I told you not to.  I am curious about something though."

 

"Yes?"

 

"When you...finish... what is that?  It feels like half way between an orgasm and a faint. It isn't something I have ever experienced except with you."

 

Drax frowned.  "If Terrans don't finish, how do they get the male's cockhead to close?"

 

"I have no idea what you are talking about. Explain it like you were talking to a child."

 

This did not make him happy. "You are not a child. It's... when I finish … my body...  How is it that you don't know this?"

 

"Ok. Comparative anatomy time."  She picked up the RocketPhone and texted  Adam asking for a male masturbation video.  "This is how Terran male anatomy works."

 

After watching Drax looked appalled. "But he is missing his tongues!"

 

"Nope. We don't have those."

 

"You must be mistaken."

 

"I'm really not."

 

"But your body produces sweetness. What is the point if the male cannot taste it?"

 

"Ok.  It's glycogen.  It's produced by the cervix as, well, basically sperm food. Tasting sweet is just sort of a nice extra.  So how does that work for your species?  Wait! Literal language, right?  Can you taste with your ... tongues?"

 

Drax's look of confusion did not improve with that question.  "Of course.  They are my tongues.  What else?”

 

"I have so many questions now I hardly know where to start.  Ok.  Explain finishing to me.  Please."

 

"When... the male allows his tongues to contact the... deepest part of the female, if he can taste her pleasure, his body has an involuntary response to release ... sperm food and a relaxant to allow his cockhead to close.  I would not be able to withdraw with it open. Not without causing us both pain."

 

"Huh.  Ok.  That explains a lot, actually."

 

"You saw how my ... penis was not like that of your species before we mated the first time. Why did you agree?"

 

"The short answer is I wanted sex and I trusted you not to hurt me."

 

"But now I have."

 

"No. This doesn't count as hurting me. If you do, I will let you know."

 

"Promise?"

 

"I promise, Drax.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.


	64. Don't Say That About My Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocket has issues.

Rocket wandered into the cockpit. “Hey, Quill.  We are passing close to Florana, can we take a little detour?”

 

“Um…  I guess.  It’s a resort planet, so it will be an expensive detour.”

 

“I’ll pay the landing fees.  I want to stop at a bath.”

  
“Ok.  I'll check if anyone has any objections."

 

"Yeah right."

 

Amelia was talking to Pozbilind, and Peter didn't think she would care, so he skipped her.  Gamora has no outstanding issues with Florana.  Drax had never heard of the place.  Rocket started calling around to make reservations as soon as Peter got back to him.

 

When he finished he went into the common room.  Amelia was sitting on one of the couches, leaning on the arm rest, with her feet stretched out.  He went to the other end of the couch and sat down with his bag of protein snacks.  She moved her legs off the the couch.

 

Rocket frowned.  ‘You don’t have to do that.”

 

“It’s Ok.  I want to make room for you.”

 

That wasn’t what he wanted to hear.  He glared at her, left his snack bag and stormed out of the room.

 

“Rocket!  Wait!”

 

He ignored her.

 

She followed him back to his work space in the engine room.  ‘Wait!  Please…”

 

He kept ignoring her.

“Rocket!  Just….  Look… I …” she stopped, watching his fiddle with the parts on his tool bench.  “I am sorry.  I tried to talk to you, but you weren’t answering.  Groot told me to just fix your arm and I couldn’t find anyone else and I just did it.  And now you are mad at me-“

 

“Stop talking.”

 

“- and I totally get that -“

 

“Stop.”

 

“- I understand that I crossed that line and now I’m just another science monkey -“

 

“I said STOP!”

 

She did.  He glared at her, she looked ready to cry.  He looked away, muttering.

 

“Tell me to get out and I will.”

 

She could barely hear him, but she could still hear him in the silence, “stupid fucking piece of garbage, can’t do anything right”

 

She gasped, turned and fled.

 

“Wait!”

 

He followed her out to the kitchen where she crashed in to Drax and buried her face in his chest, sobbing.

 

Drax was startled for a moment.  He put his arms around her and rubbed her back.  He glared at Rocket.  “What did you do?!”

 

“No!”  Amelia sobbed.  “This is my fault!  I shouldn't have…  I should have found someone else.  I broke our friendship.  I know he doesn’t want me touching him.  He told me over and over again and I still…. I can’t do anything right.”

 

“I wasn’t talking to you.”

 

“There wasn't anyone else around, Rocket.”

 

“Yeah.” he sighed, “There was.  I didn’t want you to move for me.  I wanted…  fuck.  I don’t know what I wanted.  Just… I wasn’t talking to you, OK? I can't... fuck ...I'm not people I'm not GOOD at people I wasn't talkin' to you, I wasn't, I'm not mad 'cuz you fixed my arm, I'm not mad at you, god damn it, I.. fuck.. FUCK! I can't do anything right." He turned to leave then stopped. "I'm sorry I made you cry.  I'm not mad at you."

 

"Rocket?" He stopped but didn't turn to look at her. Amelia continued anyway, "You're wrong. You are people. You're my people."

 

"What?"

 

"You said, 'I'm not people,' but that is not right. You are a person. Sometimes you are a grumpy and confusing person but you are still a person."

 

He turned back to look at her. "That's what you got outta that?"

 

She sniffled and wiped her face with her hands and nodded.  "Yeah.  That and you have the unfortunate habit of talking smack about my friend."

 

"No I don't! I never said anything about Drax!"

 

She just looked at him.

 

"Oh."

 

"Do you want to just go sit on the couch?" she asked.

 

"Can we just pretend the last five minutes never happened?"

 

"Can you do something for me?"

 

He turned wary, "What?"

 

"When you start calling yourself garbage...  I understand you might not be able to stop those thoughts in your head, but can you try to add in the line "Amelia loves me"?  I need you to remember that.  Please?"

 

He stared at her. Her eyes were still watery from crying.  "I'll try."

 

Drax added, “You are my friend as well.”

 

“Can we stop with all the sentimental stuff now?”

 

Amelia nodded; she gave Drax an extra squeeze then headed back to the common room.  She went back to the couch where she had been sitting and picked up the knitting pattern that was frustrating her.  Drax came in and sat on one side of the couch, pulling her up close to him.  She put her legs back up on the couch and leaned into him a bit.

 

Rocket watched them for a moment from the doorway.

 

Amelia looked up at him, “Well?  Come on then.”

 

He sat near her feet and opened the bag of protein snacks and handed it to her.  Amelia took one and passed it back.  “These things are delicious.  I’m kind of afraid to ask what they are made of though.”

 

“What are you working on?” Rocket asked.

 

“I’m trying to understand the pattern directions, but I can’t visualize what the designer wants.  Which is really frustrating because I have made this before.  It was a couple of years before I left Terra, but still.”

 

“Can you put on some music?” Drax asked.

 

“Sure!  Anything in particular?”

 

“I like the songs about the tattooed man who is bad with women.”

 

“What?”

 

“I like the songs, although, I feel a little bit guilty about enjoying them when I know he is such an imbecile.”

 

“Um, can you give me any hints?”

 

“I don’t know what the songs are called, they are in Terran.”

 

“So… How do you know they are about a tattooed man who is bad with women?”

 

“Tiny movies come on when they are playing.”

 

“OK, so songs with videos featuring a tattooed man.  That doesn’t really narrow it down enough, I’m afraid.”

 

“It is always the same tattooed man.  He is in a robbery and almost gets his woman killed then he drives off and blows up a bunch of vehicles.  Or there’s the one where he is in a fight and his wife and child run away.  Or there is one where his woman beats him.  Or there is one were a woman is dying and we find out it was because he was kissing a woman who was not his mate and his mate ran off and was struck by a vehicle and killed.  Or there is the really creepy one where he sneaks into a woman's room and flashes a light at her while she is sleeping.”

 

Amelia sighed, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

 

“You need to ask before you do that.”

 

Amelia frowned. He wasn’t looking at her.

 

She turned to see Rocket snatch his hand away from her leg.  “What?  I wasn’t doing anything.”

 

“You need to ask first.”

 

“She ain’t going to say yes.”

 

“If you know she doesn’t want to be touched, then why would you touch her?”

 

“She might not notice right away.”

 

“Or she might notice and not say anything and suffer because she doesn’t want to upset you further.”

 

“It’s OK, Drax.  Rocket can touch my legs if he wants to.”

 

“It is not OK.  You deserve the chance to say no.  He deserves to know that he is not stealing contact.”

 

“Amelia, can I please rub your legs?”

 

“Ok?  Would you like me to take my shoes off?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Amelia sat up and took her shoes off, then put her legs back up on the couch.  Rocket hesitantly patted her calf twice then snatched his hand back and peered at her face. 

 

“It’s OK.” She said.

 

She turned back to Drax.  “Any other hints?  There are eight million songs on here, I might not even have heard the ones you are looking for.”

 

“There is one where he is made out of paint, then erased.”

 

“Um… I just don’t know which songs you mean.  Can you find them?  How about I just put it on random?”

 

“All right.”

 

“What do you think we should make for supper?”

 

“I put a roast in earlier.”

 

“OK.”  Amelia went back to her pattern.  They both ignored how Rocket ended up lying on the couch in the right angle bend at her knees, hugging one of her calves like a child might hug a doll.  Amelia always thought Rocket’s snoring was cute.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a little extra time to write just now. New story posted under my profile.
> 
> Feed the muse.


	65. Demanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am working hard to avoid the trailers of Volume 2. I don't want spoilers for when I see that movie and I don't want the trailers to affect this story. I can't imagine it will be cannon compliant once the next movie comes out.

Amelia certainly couldn't complain about the food. Drax had stepped up his game and between the two of them the grub was better than what she had been eating on Terra, most of the time. 

 

Her sweater was flying off the needles.  Part of this was that it was knit from chunky yarn and part was the longer day.  She had only ever taken a handful of nothing but knitting days, but she always enjoyed them when she did. This one had been rather more emotional than usual, but still. 

 

After dinner, the crew tried to teach her how to play cards. There were five suits and no royal cards. Amelia mentality named the suits rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock, which was funny and sad that she had no one to share the joke. 

 

Everyone got ready for bed. Rocket end curled up behind Amelia. A few minutes after the lights were out, he started pawing at her night gown.  "Take this off,!"

 

"It keeps my shoulders warm."

 

"Take it off and I'll keep you warm."

 

"Look, as much as I enjoy looking at Drax-"

 

"Why, thank you Amelia."

 

"You're welcome.  I'm not comfortable running around with no top on."

 

"Why? Ain't nothin' wrong with your tits." He snickered a little, "Ain't like we haven't seen them before."

 

Amelia stiffened and stopped breathing.

 

She sat up and hugged her knees to her chest. "Can... can someone turn on the lights?  I need to leave now."

 

No one moved.

 

"Can someone PLEASE turn on the lights?"

 

Drax scooped her up and carried her to the kitchen.  He set her on her feet and turned on the lights. 

 

Amelia bolted away from him and went and stood by the sink, gripping the counter with both hands, she gasped for air and shook.  Drax watched her.  Gamora ignored her and went to the chill chest.  About the time Amelia got her breathing under control, Gamora handed her a spoonful of not peanut butter.

 

Amelia smiled weekly and popped it in her mouth.

 

Peter opened his mouth to say something about that being the wrong way to eat soup, but he closed it when Gamora looked at him.  He tried again, "Something you can talk about?"

 

"It took David about 20 minutes from the time we left Terra to draw up the papers to dump me with slavers. I was there a few days and the blue guy with a red _Mohawk_ and cross hatching craved in his face started haggling for me. He was there for... I don't know.  A long time.  Seemed like an hour.  He didn't buy me, but when he left, he patted my ass and said, in _English_ , " _Sorry girl, but if I'm paying that much for a piece of tail, I want one with better tits._

 

_“That was the last sentence I fully understood until you asked me my name.  By that point it had been so long I honestly thought I was just hallucinating again._

 

Amelia hesitated.  “ _I don’t …_ ” She stopped again and looked at Drax for a moment.  “I don’t want you to think of me as broken… But for a while there, I was.  I still am, sometimes.  But I’m trying really hard not to be.”

 

Peter considered this.  “You need to call this off and just sleep in your own bed?”

 

Rocket hissed softly from where he was peeking around the doorway..

 

“No.  I don't want to be alone.  I just need a _night light_ or something.  And I need …  I need everyone to ….  I don’t even know. Just understand, I can’t always be everything you need.”

 

Amelia sat down on the floor.  “Rocket?”  He peered around the door frame.  “I understand that I don’t get to touch you.  Most of the time I don’t mind when you touch me.  It’s nice when you ask first.  I …  It’s hard for me when it isn't an request but a demand.  Especially in the dark.  Or for nudity.”  She hesitated again.  “I can see the hypocrisy in that when I don’t always ask Drax, and sometimes I get kind of demanding.  I just feel extra vulnerable being naked in the dark."

 

Amelia closed her eyes and hung her head and sighed. "I am not calling veto.  If this is just too weird and messy I won't be offended if someone else does."

 

They ended up on the floor, again, this time with the lights on low.  Gamora near the door, then Peter, a gap, then Drax and Amelia with Rocket on the outside wall, spooned up to Amelia’s back but close enough to roll over and touch Groot.  However, Drax gets a little restless some nights.  Him rolling over with Amelia still in his arms like a child with his favourite toy has happened so often at this point that neither of them wake up as it happens.  Which means, Rocket wakes up to find the naked back he has been nuzzling and maybe licking a little wasn't the one he was expecting.  Peter once again wakes up with morning wood and Amelia sleeping on his chest.  Amelia wakes up vaguely disoriented with Drax spooned up behind her.

 

She sits up to find Gamora watching them all.  Amelia isn’t sure what to say, so she goes with, “I am so sorry for drooling on your boyfriend.  That’s kind of embarrassing.”

 

Gamora snorts and replies, “It’s kind of adorable.  Can I help with breakfast?”

 

“Sure!  What do you want to make?”

 

‘That egg and mushroom and cheese pie thing.”

 

“I call veto!”  Peter said, not even bothering to open his eyes.  “Veto! Veto!”

 

Drax was surprised, “You are that upset that Amelia drooled on your chest?”

 

“What?  No.  I just don’t like _quiche_.”

 

“You can have toast and I’ll eat your egg pie.” Rocket offered.

 

While they were cooking, Gamora talked about growing up with Thanos.  With all the beatings, starvation, forced surgeries and sexual abuse that came with it.  She ended with, “I, too, have be broken.  I thought it made me stronger.  But I am finding that it made me weaker as well.  There are things I want that I can not bring myself to accept.”  She paused.  “Like a family.”

 

Amelia was very quiet for a long time.  When she finally spoke she said, “I’m so glad you can share that with me.  I am not sure what to say.”  She hesitated and added.  “That wasn’t your fault, those things you were made to do.”

 

“I should have fought.”

 

“You stayed alive and escaped when you could.”  Amelia watched Gamora for a while.  “Do you need a hug?” 

 

Gamora didn’t answer, she just flung herself at the woman and hugged her tight.  After a moment she buried her face in Amelia’s shoulder and began to sob.  Amelia just held her, stroking her back, and waited for the tears to end.

 

Everyone, except Peter, thought the quiche was delicious.  He still insisted that egg and cheese together was a crime against the universe.

 

Rocket stared at him while he was explaining this.  “You’re just weird.”

 

After breakfast, Rocket headed down to the engine room.  Amelia followed him.  “Are you OK, Rocket?” She asked.

 

“Yeah, sure.  Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“Are we still OK?”

 

He sighed.  “Yeah, we’re OK.  I’m not great at this whole empathy thing.  I’ll give it a try, but you gonna have to understand if it takes me a while to get the hang of it.”

 

“I’m not entirely certain I believe that.  The first night I slept in your bunk, you made sure I was warm and fed, you left the light on enough so I could see a little and you comforted me when I cried.”

 

“You still look like one of the science monkeys to me.  But after hearing about the petting zoo, I realized you were a bit of a lab rat too.”

 

“Hey, I’ll be YOUR science monkey if you’ll be my Bandit Bear.”

 

“I’ll think about it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse


	66. Drugged Not Drunk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Drax attempts to make a joke.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Based on an actual conversation I once had with a drunk person I was trying to drive home.

 

Amelia was on her running surface, watch Peter and Drax spar. Gamora came over and Amelia asked, "Do you ever spar with Peter?"

 

"There would be no point. He pulls his punches with me, despite his reaction time being too slow for him to be a real treat to me. So he doesn't get a good practice and he is ... too slow for me to get a good practice. We both just take turns sparring with Drax." Gamora paused for a moment.  "I am not going at asking for things. It was not allowed the way I grew up.  I would like to use your running surface but respect you enough to obey your refusal."

 

It took a moment for Amelia to process that. "Awe!  I love you too, Gamora!  I don't mind if you use my running surface. Thanks for asking first."

 

"I did not say I love you.  I am not prone to such sentiment."

 

"I'm sorry."

 

"Why are you apologizing?"

 

Amelia just smiled sadly. "I'll be done is a few minutes."

 

Gamora was on the running surface and Amelia was stretching after her run when Peter stopped paying attention to Drax for a moment and caught a left hook. He went down hard.  Amelia rushed over and started assessing for concussion.  By the clock on her RocketPhone it only took him 17 seconds to start to regain consciousness.  She told Drax to keep him still while she got the medbag.  

 

She also brought a barf bag.  Just in case.  The scanner in the tablet made a MRI look pathetic.  It was pretty obvious that he had a concussion , but it told her exactly where and gave suggestions for treatment based on species. She followed the directions and gave him an injection into his L4-5 joint space and then directed him lay flat for an hour.  He would be fine.

 

In the meantime, Rocket came in.  “Did someone get up and run a weapons test last night?”

 

“Why would someone do that?” Gamora asked.

 

“Damned if I know, but weapons seem to have been deployed in the last 10 hours and I have no idea what happened.” He looked at Quill snoring gently on the floor.  “This is gonna be like the firmware update.  I have no idea how that idiot keep this ship running without me.  Anyway, we land in 1.2 hours.  If Quill is having a nap, can one of you give me a hand?”

 

Gamora gave Amelia a look.

 

“It’s OK.”  Amelia said.  “I got this. He will be fine.”

 

 _"I'm fine!"_   Peter said, in English. He went to sit up.  Amelia put her hands on his chest and tried to press him back laying down.  _"You're kinda cute!  And warm and snugly.  Snuggle-y. Nice to snuggle. Much better now that you have hair."_

 

_"Ok. You are under the influence of some pretty powerful drugs right now. You will  be happier is you just lay still and quiet for a little while so they can work."_

 

_"I remember you being all boney. I didn't think you would be nice to snuggle. But you are."_

 

Amelia considered this. _"Peter something very important is happening and someone needs your help right now_."

 

He tried to sit up again.  " _Who needs help?  Where's my blaster?"_

 

_"It's a secret time travel thing. The you in the future really needs you to be very still and quiet now.  Do you understand?  We have to be very still and quiet to save Future Peter.  It's really important. Still and quiet."_

 

_"Are we hiding?"_

 

_"We are being still and quiet."_

 

 _"We could hide in my room.  We could hide Little Peter."_   He leered. 

 

_"I think you just made Future Peter cry. Quiet and still."_

 

_"Oh! Don't cry Future Peter!"_

 

Amelia looked at him. Then looked at Drax. Then she straddled Peter and covered his mouth with her hands. "Shh!"

 

"Amelia?" Drax asked. "Is everything ok?"

 

"Yup. Umm.  Could you hold his hands?  Not like hold him down or anything. Just keep them out of my clothes?"

 

Drax carefully removed Peter's hands from where he had wrucked up Amelia's shirt and was rubbing her back. He lay down next to Peter nestled his head on the man’s shoulder so the Peter's arm was behind them. He snaked his arm across Peter's chest and held the his bicep. Peter relaxed. 

 

Amelia released his mouth. _"Can you count backwards from 100?"_

 

He could, but it was slow and awkward and Amelia had no idea if it was because he was out of practice in english or if it was a neurological symptom.  She scanned his brain again with the tablet.  Definite signs of improvement.  Short term impairment was a side effect of the drug therapy she had given him.

 

It was amazing to her that a concussion could be healed in only an hour.  She thought she should really get baseline reading on everyone before they get injured.

 

Drax interrupted her thought process. "How much of this is he going to remember?"

 

"All of it."

 

“Huh." Drax considered this for a moment.  “You expect him to remember running his hand up and down my back?”

 

“Your ridges feel nice.”

 

Drax considered this.  “That’s what she said.”

 

Peter turned his head a little before Amelia put her hands on the sides of his face.  “Did… did you just make a joke, buddy?”

 

“I have noticed that when I say anything that may inadvertently be misconstrued in a sexual manner, you or Rocket will say, ‘That’s what she said.” and since …”

 

“That’s funny?” Peter asked.  “I mean it is supposed to be funny?”

 

“Yes.” Drax answered simply.

 

“Is it funny, Peter?” Amelia asked.

 

“I don’t…  I don’t know.”  He looked at her.  “You are sitting on me.  I need to be still.”

“Yes please.” Amelia replied.  “You are speaking in Common again.  That seems like it’s a good sign.  Does your head hurt?”

 

“Oh gods!  As soon as you asked, it does!”

 

“Ok… so that should pass fairly shortly.”

 

“You’re going to be alright, you know.”  Peter said.

 

Amelia looked at him.

 

“We will take care of you.”

 

“Thank you, Peter.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feed the muse.


	67. Epilogue

No one called veto.  In the weeks to come, Peter was continuously surprised that no one vetoed the new sleeping arrangements.

 

Not when Gamora started opening up about there life with Thanos.

 

Not when Rocket talked about his time in the lab or his time alone as a fugitive.

 

Not when Amelia had to remind them that it wasn’t a competition about who had suffered that most.  That another’s suffering does not invalidate your own and that understanding each other’s struggles should lead to empathy.  

 

Not when she had to keep reminding Rocket of that every other day.

 

Not when everyone woke up to Groot snatching a snarling hissing sleeping Rocket out of the pile before he hurt anyone.

 

Not even when Amelia sat very still afterwards and let him sit in her lap and bury his face in her under his arm.

 

Not even the week after that when Amelia spent the night whimpering in her sleep and grumpily announced the next morning that she was pulling everyone’s —“Yes, I mean everyone, Drax”— physical contact privileges for a few days.  

 

Not even that night as everyone else stood around uncertainly, Drax announced she was nearing the end of her fertility cycle and that she would be sleeping in her room until she felt better.

 

In fact, the firm conviction with which Drax just assumed that everyone else would be sleeping together even without Amelia was the thing that made it happen that night.  It was a bit weird not having her there as a buffer.  It meant that the order was Rocket, a pillow, Drax, Peter, then Gamora.

 

It kind of niggled at the last vestiges of Peter’s bible belt sensibilities when he woke up cuddled up to Drax when both of them had a perfectly normal morning biological event.

 

It was just morning.  It had nothing to do with how Drax smelled.  His choices were to veto the whole arrangement or just ignore it.

 

He ignored it.  Amelia was back a couple of days later.

 

Eventually, Peter started talking about what it was like being raised by Ravagers.   Everyone listened.  He was still ashamed about some of the things that had happened growing up.  Everyone was very supportive.

 

He was fairly certain that Amelia didn’t actually tell anyone what he had said while concussed.  Drax tried out his “That’s what she said” joke a few more times until everyone agreed that it wasn't really funny and Peter and Rocket stopped doing that as well.

 

Amelia somehow found a copy of a movie called Lilo and Stitch that had been translated into Common.  They all watched it together.  As a Family.

 

\----

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, folks. This fic has gotten completely out of hand. I was never aiming for 67 chapters. I thought maybe 40 when I started. So... I'm wrapping this up. There is a second work in progress. I'm also kind of enjoying writing the shorts and the work in my other series was fun to write too...
> 
> All in all, I am fairly happy with how this turned out. Not too shabby for a first ever attempt at writing. My New Year's resolution was to publish A Story here. I have rather exceeded that goal. Time to mix it up a bit.
> 
> Feed the muse.


End file.
